In a historic move toward cognitive justice, the UN General Assembly has approved a resolution to move away from the traditional Mercator projection. By embracing maps that accurately represent the true size of continents, the international community aims to highlight the real geographic scale of regions like Africa, correcting a visual bias that has lasted for centuries.

A Paradigm Shift in How We See Our Planet

On Friday, September 4, 2026, the United Nations General Assembly marked a milestone in global geography. Through a massive vote, a resolution was adopted to promote the use of maps that more accurately reflect the relative size of landmasses, putting a special emphasis on the true representation of the African continent.

The Vote Breakdown: The resolution passed with 164 votes in favor, only 1 vote against (United States), and 6 abstentions (Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Serbia, and Ukraine). While this is a significant step, it is important to note that the resolution is non-binding, serving as a global recommendation for educational and governmental institutions.

Goodbye to Distortion: The Mercator Map

Since 1569, the projection created by Gerardus Mercator has dominated world atlases. Originally designed for maritime navigation, this technique allows sailors to plot straight-line courses, but it comes with a heavy geographic cost: it distorts surface areas as they move away from the equator.

The Result? Countries like Greenland appear visually similar in size to Africa, when in reality, Africa is 14 times larger.

Welcome Precision: The Equal Earth Projection

The UN now encourages the adoption of the Equal Earth projection, created in 2018 by experts Bernhard Jenny, Tom Patterson, and Bojan Šavrič. Unlike its predecessor, this is an equal-area projection.

This means the size of continents remains proportional to their physical reality, allowing for a more equitable and truthful perception of the world in textbooks, news media, and official institutional websites.

Cognitive Justice and African Leadership

This movement is not merely technical; it is deeply symbolic. Led by Togo on behalf of the African Union (AU) and supported by campaigns such as #CorrectTheMap, Africa No Filter, and Speak Up Africa, the initiative seeks to combat the "symbolic minimization" of the African continent.

Proponents argue that correcting maps is an act of cognitive justice—the idea that the way we represent knowledge can impact the perceived political and economic potential of an entire region.

Global Stances and Next Steps

Country / Organization Position Reasoning / Action
France In Favor Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced they will abandon Mercator in official maps.
United States Against Described the measure as a "radical ideological project" and a distraction from peace issues.
Ukraine Abstained Due to ambiguities in the representation of Russian-occupied territories in some Equal Earth versions.
European Union In Favor Clarified that the change is strictly cartographic and does not affect sovereignty or borders.

What happens now?

The change will be felt in classrooms very soon. Togo has already planned to update its school geography books by the end of this year. Additionally, the UN Secretary-General has been requested to present a report on the implementation of this resolution during the 83rd session of the Assembly.

Source: La Nación