UN General Assembly Adopts New Map Reflecting Accurate Sizes of Continents

The UN General Assembly voted on September 4, 2026, to adopt a new map that more accurately represents the sizes of the continents. The vote resulted in 164 countries in favor, one against (the United States), and six abstentions. The map, known as the Equal Earth cartographic projection, aims to improve the accuracy of the cartographic representation of the world. The resolution was supported by several African countries, including Togo, whose foreign minister, Robert Dussey, stated that maps influence education and perceptions of the world. The Equal Earth projection is proposed as a replacement for the traditional Mercator projection, which distorts the relative sizes of landmasses, making regions near the poles appear larger than those near the equator. For example, Greenland appears nearly the same size as Africa, despite Africa being approximately 14 times larger. Dussey mentioned that Togo plans to replace the maps used in its schools by the end of the year. France, a co-sponsor of the resolution, also announced it would abandon the Mercator projection. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot noted that the Mercator projection gives disproportionate visual prominence to countries like the United States, Russia, and China compared to Africa and other regions. The UN vote is not legally binding and does not challenge the use of the Mercator projection for navigation purposes. The United States opposed the resolution, arguing that it promotes an ideological agenda and distracts from more pressing international issues. Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Morocco, Serbia, and Ukraine abstained from the vote.