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· collected 2026-09-04 · by Mariamne Everett
The United Nations General Assembly voted 164-1 on Friday, with six abstentions, to adopt a new world map that accurately reflects countries' true sizes. The resolution, sponsored by African states and the Bahamas, aims to correct a colonial-era injustice that has visually shrunk Africa for 450 years. The proposed "Equal Earth" projection is more accurate in portraying continent sizes, as opposed to the widely-used Mercator map which exaggerates Western nations at the expense of Africa's true size, which is about 14 times larger than Greenland's size. France has announced plans to abandon the Mercator map following the vote.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-05,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On September 4, the United Nations General Assembly voted to adopt a new world map that more accurately reflects the size of Africa and other continents. The resolution, sponsored by several African countries, including Togo, passed with the support of 164 countries and was opposed only by the United States. The old Mercator projection map had been widely used since the 16th century but had been criticized for distorting the relative size of land masses, making Africa appear smaller than it is. The new Equal Earth cartographic projection more accurately portrays the size of continents, with Africa appearing 14 times larger than Greenland. While the UN resolution is non-binding, it is expected to lead to changes in the maps used by institutions around the world, including schools and technology companies. Togo's Foreign Minister Robert Dussey said that maps "guide education, nourish the imagination, and influence collective perceptions" and that a fair map is essential for a fair world.
Written for “UN Adopts New World Map” on 2026-09-05,
grounded in this article and the 10 other(s) covering the same event.
The United Nations has voted to adopt a new world map that more accurately reflects countries’ true sizes, a resolution sponsored by African states to right a centuries-old wrong.
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that → vote → wrong
The “Correct the Map” resolution adopted by the UN general assembly on Friday aims to address a colonial-era injustice that has visually shrunk Africa for 450 years, shaping how the continent is perceived in media, education and policy around the world.
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continent → correct → world
On a quest to fix the world map
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Maps → fix → America
The resolution, put forward by African Union (AU) member states and the Bahamas, was backed by a vote of 164-1 with six abstentions.
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resolution → put → abstentions
Togo led the AU’s campaign to limit use of the widely-used Mercator map.
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Togo → lead → map
Developed in the 16th century by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator, the projection distorts the relative size of land masses by expanding those nearer the poles.
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projection → develop → poles
For instance, it makes Greenland appear roughly the same size as Africa, even though Africa is about 14 times larger.
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Africa → make → Africa
Some critics of the Mercator map believe it remains widely used because it visually exaggerates and centralises Western nations, perpetuating ideas of European superiority.
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it → believe → superiority
“A fair world begins with a fair map,” Togo’s Foreign Minister Robert Dussey told the Reuters news agency ahead of Friday’s vote.
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Dussey → begin → vote
The resolution promotes the Equal Earth projection, which more accurately portrays the size of the continents.
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which → promote → continents
The resolution is not legally binding and it “in no way challenges the use of the Mercator projection for maritime and aerial navigation, for which it remains fully suited,” the Togolese ministry said in a statement.
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ministry → challenge → statement
The United States – the only country to vote against the resolution – said it promoted an “ideological agenda” and was a distraction from the “genuine problems of international peace, prosperity or good relations”.
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it → vote → peace
Moky Makura, executive director of the advocacy organisation Africa No Filter that’s involved in “Correct the World” map campaign, hailed the vote, saying “now the real work begins”.
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work → involve → vote
“We want to see accurate maps in schools, textbooks, newsrooms, businesses and on the digital platforms billions of people use every day,” Makura said in a statement.
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Makura → want → statement
“If we got something as basic as Africa’s size wrong for this long, what else about Africa have we simply accepted without questioning?
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we → get → Africa
Africa doesn’t need to be made bigger.
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Africa → need → ?
It needs to be seen accurately,” she added.
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she → need → ?
‘Distortions eventually take root in perceptions’
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Distortions → take → perceptions
Ahead of the vote, France, who co-sponsored the resolution, announced that it planned to abandon the Mercator map.
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it → co → map
The foreign ministry “will abandon the Mercator projection in favour of map representations tailored to specific uses, more faithful to actual surface areas and in line with the recommendations of cartographers and scientists”, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said in a speech at the Sorbonne University in Paris.
“The United States, Russia and China take on a disproportionate visual prominence compared to Africa, Latin America or southeast Asia,” Barrot said, adding that “distortions eventually take root in perceptions” and that “the time has come to correct them.”
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time → abandon → them
The Mercator map remains widely used in classrooms, but Togo hopes to change its school geography materials by the end of the year
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Togo → use → year
, Dussey told Reuters.
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Dussey → tell → Reuters
Togo will press other governments, schools, international organisations and technology companies to move away from the Mercator map in favour of the Equal Earth one, Dussey said.
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Dussey → press → one
Dussey linked the campaign to adopt the map to wider African efforts to confront colonial-era legacies, while saying it was not an attack on Europe or any other civilisation.
The Mercator map’s widespread use is a consequence of colonisation, he said.
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he → link → colonisation
“The world is changing.
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world → change → ?
Africa also is changing.”
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Africa → change → ?
