UN Adopts New World Map Making Africa Bigger, North America Smaller in Historic Vote

The United Nations General Assembly has voted to adopt a new world map that makes the African continent bigger while shrinking North America and Europe.

The resolution, sponsored by Togo and supported by 164 countries, replaces the 16th-century Mercator projection with the Equal Earth cartographic projection, which more accurately reflects the true size of continents.

A Historic Shift in Cartography

ValidViewNetwork gathered that the United Nations General Assembly has voted to adopt a new world map that makes the African continent bigger while shrinking North America and Europe.

The resolution, aimed at “a more accurate representation” of continental landmasses, was supported by 164 countries while the United States voted against it and six other states abstained.

The new map, known as the Equal Earth cartographic projection improves “the accuracy of the cartographic representation of the world” and urges member states to use it in place of the traditional Mercator projection, which was designed for maritime navigation by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569.

Why It Matters

The Mercator projection focused on accurate depictions of the shapes and angles of land masses, but their relative sizes were often inaccurate, largely due to the challenge of rendering a three-dimensional globe onto a two-dimensional map.

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It inflated northern regions and compressed equatorial ones, making Europe and North America appear much larger, while shrinking Africa and South America.

A group of cartographers launched the Equal Earth projection in 2018. It makes Africa, Latin America, South Asia and Oceania appear much larger.

“Equal Earth preserves the relative surface areas of continents and, as much as possible, shows their shapes as they appear on a globe,” one of the cartographers, Bojan Savric, told AFP.

A Victory for Africa

Foreign Minister Robert Dussey of Togo, which sponsored the resolution, said maps “guide education, nourish the imagination, and influence collective perceptions” .

“They are therefore never neutral; when they present a distorted image of our planet, they risk perpetuating inaccurate representation that is passed down through generations,” he said.

France, which co-sponsored the resolution, announced it would abandon the Mercator projection.

“Changing maps obviously doesn’t change the world,” Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said. “But correcting a distorted representation is already an act of truth”.

A Lesson for Nigerian Youths

The UN’s adoption of a new map is a reminder that perception matters, and sometimes, the world needs to be seen differently.

For centuries, Africa has been diminished on maps, shrinking its perceived importance.

The Equal Earth projection corrects this distortion. The same politicians who perpetuate outdated narratives will never allow their own children to be defined by inaccurate perceptions.

Their children are taught to see the world as it truly is.

For young Nigerians, the lesson is clear: your perspective matters. The same leaders who accept the status quo will never allow their own children to challenge the narratives that limit them.

Challenge perceptions. Demand accurate representation. And never forget that the way you see the world shapes the way the world sees you.