The UN General Assembly has voted to replace the traditional Mercator world map, which drastically shrinks Africa’s size.
For centuries, the Mercator world map has shaped global perspectives—both literally and figuratively. Originally created in 1569, this map projection has long been known for its disproportionate depiction of the world, notably reducing the size of Africa while enlarging those of countries closer to the poles. In a significant move reflecting growing calls for more accurate and equitable representations, the United Nations General Assembly has voted to move away from the Mercator projection.
This article examines why the UN took this step, the history and limitations of the Mercator map, the more accurate alternatives now being adopted, and the broader implications for education, geopolitics, and international relations stemming from how we represent our world.
Background: How the World Came to See Africa as Smaller Than It Is
The Mercator projection—a household staple in schools and offices worldwide—was not originally intended for educational or general navigational purposes. Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator designed it in the 16th century for marine navigation. The core principle of the Mercator map is its ability to represent straight lines of constant compass direction as straight segments, a crucial aid for early European sailors. However, no two-dimensional projection can accurately display the dimensions of a three-dimensional globe without distortion. As a result, Mercator’s design increasingly exaggerates the size of landmasses the farther they are from the equator.
This distortion is so stark that, on the Mercator projection, Greenland appears similar in size to Africa, when in reality Africa is about 14 times larger. For generations, this misrepresentation has contributed to widespread misconceptions about the size and importance of Africa and other equatorial regions.
The “Correct the Map” Resolution and Its Global Support
In an effort to promote fairer cartographic practices and address these long-standing inaccuracies, the UN General Assembly recently passed a resolution titled “Correct the Map.” The resolution was introduced by Togo and supported by the African Union, highlighting Africa’s central role in the campaign for a truer global perspective. The vote saw strong international support, with 164 member states—including France and the United Kingdom—voting in favor. Only the United States opposed the resolution, while six nations abstained.
Although the measure is non-binding, it signals a shift in global attitudes towards map representation and is widely expected to influence educational, governmental, and other institutional uses of world maps in the future.
Why Map Accuracy Matters: The Distortions of the Mercator Projection
The Mercator projection’s misrepresentation goes beyond academic curiosity. Because it was created to help navigators plot courses across the oceans, its main advantage lies in maintaining angles and directions. Unfortunately, this requires significant sacrifice of accurate size and proportion. Landmasses near the equator—including Africa and South America—are visually shrunk, while those near the poles, such as Greenland, Antarctica, and northern Europe, are vastly overinflated.
For example, North America appears almost as large as Africa on the Mercator, when in reality Africa is more than double its size. This cartographic bias has deep historical and sociopolitical implications, with many experts and activists arguing that Eurocentric maps have contributed to the underestimation of African resources, significance, and influence throughout modern history.
Adopting a More Accurate Alternative: The Equal Earth Projection
Calls to address these misrepresentations have led to new projections intended to reduce such distortions. Most notable is the Equal Earth projection, developed by a team of cartographers in 2018. The advantage of the Equal Earth map lies in its ability to represent land areas proportionally across the globe, while still maintaining visually pleasing shapes for continents and countries.
Earlier in 2023, the African Union officially adopted the Equal Earth projection, further galvanizing the movement towards fairer map usage worldwide. According to the advocacy group #CorrectTheMap, the adoption underlines the massive scale of Africa, noting that it is large enough to contain the United States, China, India, Japan, Mexico, and much of Europe combined, with land mass to spare. Such facts highlight how corrective measures in cartography are about much more than aesthetics—they are about ensuring fair and accurate comprehension of the world’s geography.
The Broader Implications: Beyond Cartography
UN and other international leaders have emphasized that the representation of the world’s geography plays a part in shaping narratives, perceptions, and even policy decisions. As Togolese Foreign Minister Robert Dussey stated, “A fair world begins with a fair map.” His French counterpart, Jean-Noël Barrot, echoed this view, confirming that France would discontinue use of the Mercator projection, describing the shift as “an act of truth.”
Lerato Mogoatlhe, a representative of Africa No Filter—a pan-African advocacy group involved in the initiative—offered insight into the importance of this shift. She contended that Africa’s outdated representation on traditional maps “is not just a cartographic error, it’s a narrative issue.” By diminishing Africa’s size, she argued, the traditional map perpetuates a diminished view of the continent’s importance in global affairs.
Kenyan geographer Kioko Muendo added that maps are powerful cultural artifacts, significantly influencing how regions and peoples are understood both politically and economically. “Maps are more than just guides for travellers,” Muendo observed, “they shape how regions are perceived politically and economically.”
Debate and Opposition: The US Position
Not all countries supported the UN’s focus on the map. United States representative Yaryna Ferencevych contended that the debate on map projections was distracting from what she considered more pressing global priorities such as international peace and prosperity. She argued that revisiting historic cartographic choices was less central to the UN’s mission and raised concerns that the debate could become entangled in broader disputes over historical injustices and calls for reparations.
This stance is consistent with earlier US positions on similar topics; in March of the same year, the US expressed criticism of a different UN resolution labeling the transatlantic slave trade as the “gravest crime against humanity.” As the only nation to vote against the “Correct the Map” resolution, Washington underscored its skepticism about linking contemporary justice issues with centuries-old mapmaking methods.
The Role of Maps in Global Understanding and Education
Maps are more than geographic tools. They are frameworks that inform perspective, reinforce educational curricula, and guide institutional and policy decisions. The traditional Mercator projection, by establishing the geographic norm across generations, has often cemented a Eurocentric worldview.
Corrective efforts like the UN’s recent resolution aim to break with these inherited distortions. Supporters hope that switching to an equal-area map like the Equal Earth projection will foster more nuanced and accurate understandings—particularly for new generations of students, policymakers, and business leaders. Internationally, such a move has the potential to challenge preconceptions and encourage greater appreciation for Africa’s scale, diversity, and strategic importance.
Historical Roots and Social Implications of the Mercator Map
The popularity of the Mercator projection surged during the period of European colonial expansion, when accurate sea navigation was crucial to the ambitions of European empires. However, the map’s built-in visual biases reinforced the prominence of the Global North at the expense of the South.
Throughout the 20th century, educators, activists, and cartographers increasingly called attention to the impact of distorted maps on subjects ranging from economic development to cultural confidence. The ongoing campaign to correct the world map is part of a larger movement to decolonize education, restore dignity to historically marginalized regions, and promote balanced representations on the global stage.
International, Societal, and Expert Reactions
The push for fairer map projections has drawn widespread support from figures and organizations in the academic, diplomatic, and advocacy spheres. African governments, international NGOs, educational bodies, and cartographic experts have all called for reforms. European nations like France and the UK, which have a long history of influence in global cartography, affirmed their support for the UN’s decision.
Outside of government, the Equal Earth projection has gained momentum in classrooms and among educators in the US, Europe, and Africa. Experts in geography and international development are optimistic that this move will help shift global understanding toward more accurate, evidence-based narratives about the world’s regions and their relative importance.
However, some policy analysts note that shifting official map use is only one part of the process. Implementing the transition on a global scale—across atlases, textbooks, software, and national archives—will take time and sustained effort. Many observers view the UN’s action as an essential first step rather than a final solution, a catalyst for ongoing educational and institutional reform.
The Future of World Maps: A More Equitable Perspective
The UN General Assembly’s vote to replace the Mercator world map with a more accurate alternative is a landmark decision in the long history of cartography. The move serves as recognition of the power of maps to shape understanding, redistribute attention and resources, and challenge outdated narratives rooted in colonial history.
As global organizations, educational systems, and policy institutes reassess which maps they use, the adoption of equal-area projections like the Equal Earth will likely become more widespread. This represents not only a technical adjustment but a philosophical commitment to fairness and truth—key principles for the modern, interconnected world.
Conclusion
Maps have always reflected the values and priorities of their creators. The UN’s decision to replace the Mercator projection stands as a historic effort to align those values more closely with accuracy, equity, and respect for all continents. As the world transitions to more truthful mapmaking, there is opportunity for richer engagement with the world’s true dimensions, and for the societies described by those maps to be afforded the recognition long denied by distortions of the past.
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Disclaimer: This content is intended for entertainment purposes only and is not based on real events.