New Delhi, Sep 5: The United Nations General Assembly has approved a resolution supporting a new world map designed to present the size of the world’s continents more accurately.
The resolution received support from 164 countries, while the United States voted against it and six countries abstained. The move backs the use of the Equal Earth projection as an alternative to the widely used Mercator projection.
The change is aimed at addressing the visual distortions created by the Mercator map, particularly for continents located closer to the equator. While the Mercator projection is useful for navigation because it preserves directions and angles, it does not accurately show the relative size of landmasses.
Africa is among the regions most affected by this distortion. On the traditional map, the continent appears smaller than its actual land area. The Equal Earth projection provides a more proportionate representation of Africa, along with Latin America, South Asia and Oceania.
The Equal Earth projection was developed in 2018 with the objective of showing continents closer to their actual relative surface areas while retaining recognisable shapes.
The issue has gained attention because maps are widely used in classrooms, textbooks and public communication, meaning the way continents are displayed can influence how people understand the world’s geography.
Supporters of the resolution believe a more balanced map can provide a clearer understanding of the relative size of different regions and reduce misconceptions created by traditional map projections.
The United States opposed the resolution, reflecting a wider disagreement over whether the UN should take up issues related to cartographic representation.
The decision does not change geographical boundaries or the physical size of any continent. Instead, it changes the way the world is visually represented on a two-dimensional map.
The move could encourage countries, educational institutions and other organisations to reconsider the maps they use and adopt projections that offer a more proportionate view of the world’s landmass.