UN to vote on resolution to replace world map that shrinks Africa's size

The United Nations General Assembly will on Friday, September 4, vote on an African-led initiative calling for wider use of world maps that represent the size of continents particularly Africa more accurately. The draft resolution, led by Togo and backed by the African Union (AU), encourages governments, schools, international organisations and technology companies to use the Equal Earth projection and other equal-area maps when geographical size matters. ALSO READ: African Union urges replacement of outdated world map that shrinks Africa The proposal focuses on the widely used Mercator projection, created by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569. The projection was developed primarily for navigation, and has been criticised for shrinking the size of Africa in comparison to other continents. It represents the spherical Earth on a flat surface, it significantly enlarges areas farther from the Equator. One commonly cited comparison is Greenland, which can appear similar in size to Africa on the Mercator map despite Africa being about 14 times larger in actual land area. The proposed alternative, Equal Earth, is an equal-area projection that preserves the relative size of landmasses, making continental comparisons more accurate. ALSO READ: What to know about Mercator world map that 'shrinks' Africa's size The draft resolution does not seek to ban Mercator. It recognises that different projections serve different purposes, including navigation, while encouraging equal area maps for geographical comparisons. Togo is leading the initiative at the United Nations on behalf of the African Union. Togolese Foreign Minister Robert Dussey stressed that African countries were seeking recognition of their geographical size based on scientific evidence. “We are not asking for a privilege. We are not asking for compassion,” he said. “This is not a political deal. It’s a scientific deal. We just want to have the real size that we have in the world in terms of geography.” The draft resolution encourages educational institutions to use more proportionally accurate maps when teaching geography. It also calls for engagement with tech companies and digital platforms to promote accurate representations of continental sizes. The initiative follows the African Union's endorsement of the wider “Correct the Map” campaigne in August 2025, after which Togo was asked to spearhead efforts to advance the issue internationally.

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UN to vote on resolution to replace world map that shrinks Africa's size