The African Union (AU) has welcomed the United Nations General Assembly's adoption of the "Correct the Map” resolution.

The initiative seeks to address distortions created by the Mercator projection, a 16th-century mapping system developed primarily for navigation.

The projection makes regions closer to the poles appear significantly larger while understating the size of areas around the equator.

The AU said the campaign goes beyond cartography, stressing the importance of representing Africa according to objective and scientifically established geographical realities.

In a statement, AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf described it as an important step towards more accurate representation of Africa and other regions of the world.

He commended Togo for championing the initiative on behalf of the African Group and praised Togolese President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé for his leadership in mobilising international support.

Youssouf encouraged international institutions, educational systems, publishers and digital platforms to progressively adopt map representations that more accurately reflect the actual size of the world’s regions.

The General Assembly adopted the resolution with 164 countries voting in favour, while the United States voted against and six abstained.

The AU Commission said it will continue working with Togo, member states and partners to support implementation of the initiative.