UN Assembly Votes to Replace Mercator Map with Equal Earth

The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution titled "Correct the Map," which aims to phase out the Mercator world map in favor of the Equal Earth projection, a more accurate representation of land sizes. Sponsored by Togo and supported by all 54 African Union member states, the resolution received backing from 164 nations, including France and the United Kingdom.

The United States was the only country to vote against the resolution, while six countries were absent. The Mercator map, designed in 1569 by Gerardus Mercator, has been criticized for distorting the sizes of landmasses, particularly inflating those closer to the poles and shrinking those near the equator.

Togolese Foreign Minister Robert Dussey stated that "A fair world begins with a fair map," emphasizing the influence of maps on perceptions of nations. The African Union adopted the Equal Earth projection in February 2023, which accurately represents the sizes of continents, particularly Africa.

Although the UN resolution is non-binding, it is expected to encourage updates to maps used globally.