Rwanda votes for UN resolution backing world maps that show true size of Africa

The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution on Friday September 4, calling for world maps that more accurately represent the true size of continents, particularly Africa. The resolution, titled “Correct the Map: Rebalancing global cartographic representation and promoting equitable representation of the world’s regions, particularly Africa,” received 164 votes in favour. Rwanda was among countries that voted in favour of the resolution. The United States is the only country that voted against resolution, while Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine abstained. ALSO READ: What to know about Mercator world map that 'shrinks' Africa's size The initiative led by African countries challenges the widespread use of the Mercator projection, developed by Gerardus Mercator in 1569 for maritime navigation. Although useful for navigation, the projection significantly exaggerates the size of landmasses as they move farther from the equator. On the map that is still widely used in many settings, Africa appears roughly comparable in size to Greenland, despite being more than 14 times larger in actual area. The resolution encourages institutions, schools, digital platforms and others to adopt other maps, such as Equal Earth, which better reflect the true size of continents. ALSO READ: African Union urges replacement of outdated world map that shrinks Africa The resolution does not prohibit the use of the Mercator projection or legally require institutions to replace existing maps. The resolution was initiated by Togo on behalf of the African Group and backed by the African Union. Before the vote, the US ambassador to the UN urged member states to reject the resolution, arguing that the initiative was linked to a broader ideological agenda. Supporters, however, argue that the way the world is visually represented matters because maps influence how people understand geography, development and the relative scale of different regions.

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Rwanda votes for UN resolution backing world maps that show true size of Africa