The United Nations General Assembly has endorsed a resolution encouraging countries and institutions to move away from the centuries-old Mercator map and consider the Equal Earth projection, which gives a more accurate representation of the relative sizes of continents.
The resolution, led by Togo and supported by African countries and the African Union, was approved on September 4, 2026. A total of 164 countries voted in favour, while the United States was the only country to vote against. Six countries abstained: Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine.
Why Africa’s size has become an issue
The commonly used Mercator projection was developed in the 16th century primarily for navigation. Although useful for sailors, it significantly distorts the size of landmasses as they move away from the Equator.
As a result, countries and regions in the northern and southern extremes appear much larger than they actually are, while equatorial regions such as Africa appear smaller.
One of the most striking examples is Greenland and Africa. On the Mercator map, they can appear roughly similar in size. In reality, Africa is about 14 times larger than Greenland.
Africa covers approximately 30.3 million square kilometres, making it one of the world’s largest landmasses. Its actual size is large enough to contain the United States, China, India and much of Europe combined.
Togo leads the campaign
Togo has played a central role in pushing the issue at the United Nations. Foreign Minister Robert Dussey argued that maps influence how people understand the world, particularly through education.
The campaign has also received support from Africa No Filter, which wants more accurate representations of Africa to appear in schools, textbooks, newsrooms and digital platforms.
Supporters say the change is about more than cartography. They argue that repeatedly presenting Africa as much smaller than its true size can influence how people perceive the continent’s importance and place in the world.
The map will not immediately replace Mercator
Despite the significance of the vote, the UN resolution is not legally binding. It does not ban the Mercator projection or force governments and technology companies to immediately stop using it.
Instead, it encourages governments, educational institutions and other organisations to consider Equal Earth and other projections that represent land areas more accurately.
The resolution therefore represents an important symbolic victory for African countries, while the wider question of whether schools, mapping companies and digital platforms will actually change their maps remains to be seen.
