The United Nations General Assembly has approved a resolution promoting the use of maps that more accurately represent the true size of continents, particularly Africa. This initiative aims to counter the distortions of the centuries-old Mercator projection.

• The resolution passed with 164 votes in favour, 1 vote against (the United States), and 6 abstentions.
• Togo led the effort, with its Foreign Minister Robert Dussey championing the shift to projections like Equal Earth.
• Togo plans to be the first country to update its school geography materials by the end of 2026, viewing the change as a step away from colonial-era legacies.

The United Nations General Assembly has voted to adopt a resolution encouraging the use of world maps that accurately represent the sizes of continents and countries, an initiative spearheaded by Togo on behalf of the African Group.

• 164 countries voted in favour of the 'Correct the Map' resolution.
• The resolution aims to correct distortions caused by common map projections, such as the Mercator projection, which make countries near the Equator, like Kenya, appear smaller than they are.
• The United States was the only country to vote against the proposal, while six countries abstained.

The United Nations has overwhelmingly supported an African Union-backed resolution urging the use of more geographically accurate maps, with the United States being the sole country to vote against it.

• 164 countries voted in favour of the resolution, while 6 abstained.
• The resolution promotes the use of equal-area map projections, such as the Equal Earth map, over the traditional Mercator projection.
• The US representative argued the resolution was part of a "radical ideological project" and a distraction from pressing global issues.

The United Nations General Assembly has adopted a resolution, spearheaded by Togo on behalf of the African Group, to promote more accurate world maps that better represent the relative size of continents, particularly Africa.

• The resolution passed with 164 countries voting in favour, while the United States voted against it.
• The initiative aims to counter the distortions of the Mercator projection, which inaccurately depicts continents like Africa as much smaller than they are.
• The African Union endorses this move, advocating for the use of projections like Equal Earth to ensure objective and scientifically established realities of Africa's true dimensions are represented globally in educational and digital platforms.