UN Backs Equal Earth Map in Landmark Move to Correct Africa’s Global Representation

The United Nations General Assembly has endorsed a resolution promoting the Equal Earth map projection, marking a major international push to present Africa and other continents according to their actual relative sizes, according to Reuters. Led by Togo and backed by African states, the resolution passed with 164 votes in favour, six abstentions and only the United States voting against. The initiative challenges the dominance of the Mercator projection, which visually enlarges land masses closer to the poles and makes Greenland appear roughly comparable in size to Africa, despite Africa being about 14 times larger.

The resolution is part of the wider Correct the Map campaign supported by the African Union and seeks to encourage governments, schools, international organisations and technology companies to adopt more geographically accurate projections. The Equal Earth projection, developed in 2018, preserves relative land area more accurately and gives Africa a visual scale closer to its actual geographic footprint. Togo Foreign Minister Robert Dussey described the initiative as a broader effort to challenge longstanding perceptions of Africa, saying, “A fair world begins with a fair map.”

The decision carries significance beyond cartography because maps influence how geography is taught and how the relative importance of regions is visually understood. Togo plans to update its school geography materials by the end of the year and intends to engage African governments, international organisations and mapping and location technology companies on wider adoption. However, the resolution is not legally binding and does not call for the complete elimination of Mercator, which remains useful for maritime and aerial navigation.

For Africa, the move represents a symbolic shift in how the continent is presented to global audiences, linking geographic accuracy with education, representation and cultural perception. As governments and digital platforms consider wider use of area accurate maps, the UN endorsement could accelerate a change in the visual language through which future generations understand Africa’s scale and place in the world.