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# UN votes to replace Mercator map with projection showing Africa's true size
- URL: https://www.theglobalvoice.com/un-votes-to-replace-mercator-map-with-projection-showing-africas-true-size/
- Published: 2026-09-05T09:27:36.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-05T09:27:36.000Z
- Description: UN General Assembly backs Togo-sponsored resolution to retire Mercator projection, with 164 nations voting for map showing Africa's accurate scale.
- Author: TGV Desk
- Tags: geopolitics, Wire, The Day So Far, africa

The United Nations General Assembly has overwhelmingly backed an African-led push to move away from the traditional Mercator world map in favour of projections that more accurately represent the relative size of continents, particularly Africa.

The “Correct the Map” resolution passed at UN headquarters in New York on Friday with 164 countries voting in favour, six abstaining and only the United States voting against it. The initiative was led by Togo with the backing of the African Union and promotes the Equal Earth projection, developed in 2018, as a more accurate representation of the world's land masses.

The Mercator projection was developed by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569 primarily to assist maritime navigation. While useful for navigation because it preserves angles and directions, it significantly distorts the relative size of countries and continents, particularly as they get closer to the poles.

One of the most frequently cited examples is Greenland and Africa. On a Mercator map, Greenland can appear roughly comparable in size to Africa. In reality, Africa is approximately 14 times larger. The projection similarly exaggerates the apparent size of Europe, North America and Russia relative to regions closer to the equator.

The Equal Earth projection addresses this problem by preserving the relative area of land masses. Africa consequently appears substantially larger in relation to Europe and North America, providing a representation closer to their actual geographical proportions.

Togo's Foreign Minister Robert Dussey has been one of the leading advocates of the campaign, arguing that distorted maps have influenced perceptions of Africa's place in the world.

“A fair world begins with a fair map,” Dussey said ahead of the vote.

The African Union welcomed the resolution as a “historic step” towards more accurate and equitable global cartographic representation. The organisation had formally endorsed the Correct the Map campaign earlier this year, arguing that the continued widespread use of Mercator reinforces an inaccurate perception of Africa's geographical scale.

The resolution does not legally compel governments, schools or companies to stop using Mercator. Instead, it encourages member states, international organisations, educational institutions and other organisations to adopt maps that accurately preserve the relative sizes of continents. It also explicitly leaves Mercator available for maritime and aviation navigation, where its particular characteristics remain useful.

Togo now intends to put the campaign into practice domestically. Dussey said the country plans to change the maps used in its school geography materials by the end of 2026 and hopes other countries will follow.

Togo also plans to hold discussions with African Union members and supporters from other regions over the next six months about wider adoption. Dussey said those discussions would eventually need to involve technology companies providing digital maps, GPS and other location-based services.

The United States was the sole country to oppose the resolution, arguing that it advanced an “ideological agenda” and distracted from more pressing international issues.

While the resolution itself is voluntary, its significance could ultimately depend on whether governments, publishers, schools and major technology platforms adopt Equal Earth or other equal-area projections in the maps seen and used by millions of people.