UN General Assembly: Adopts UN Resolution for Accurate Africa Map

• The UN General Assembly adopted on September 4 an African-led resolution promoting world maps that accurately represent continent sizes, particularly Africa.
• Led by Togo and backed by the African Union, the resolution encourages the use of the Equal Earth projection over the distorting Mercator projection for geographical comparisons.
• The Mercator map, developed in 1569 for navigation, significantly shrinks Africa's perceived size, making it appear similar to Greenland despite being 14 times larger.
• Togolese Foreign Minister Robert Dussey emphasized the initiative is a scientific, not political, effort to recognize Africa's true geographical scale.
• The resolution, supported by 164 countries including Nigeria, calls for accurate maps in education and digital platforms, following an August 2025 AU endorsement of the "Correct the Map" campaign.

This push for a more accurate Africa map has garnered substantial international support, with Nigeria and 163 other nations voting in favor of the measure.

The United Nations General Assembly adopted on Friday, September 4, a significant African-led initiative. This proposed UN resolution aims to encourage the widespread adoption of world maps that more accurately depict the true geographical dimensions of continents, particularly Africa. Spearheaded by Togo and enjoying the full backing of the African Union (AU), the draft resolution specifically advocates for the use of the Equal Earth projection and other equal-area maps in contexts where precise geographical size comparisons are crucial. This push for a more accurate Africa map has garnered substantial international support, with Nigeria and 163 other nations voting in favor of the measure.

The resolution’s proponents are urging a broad spectrum of entities, including national governments, educational institutions, international organizations, and technology companies, to embrace these more representative cartographic tools. The core objective is to rectify long-standing distortions in global geographical representation. This initiative represents a concerted effort to ensure that visual representations of the world reflect scientific realities, moving beyond historical inaccuracies that have shaped global perceptions.

At the heart of this global cartographic discussion is the widely recognized Mercator projection, a mapping system devised in 1569 by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator. While the Mercator projection proved invaluable for navigation due to its ability to represent the spherical Earth on a flat surface, it has faced considerable criticism for its significant distortion of landmass sizes, particularly in areas further from the Equator. A prominent example of this distortion is the visual comparison between Greenland and Africa; on a Mercator map, they often appear to be of similar size, despite Africa being approximately 14 times larger in actual land area.

In contrast, the Equal Earth projection, championed by the UN resolution, is designed as an equal-area map. This alternative preserves the relative sizes of landmasses, thereby offering a far more accurate basis for continental comparisons. It is important to note, however, that the draft resolution does not seek to ban the Mercator projection entirely. Instead, it acknowledges that various map projections serve distinct purposes, with Mercator remaining useful for specific applications like navigation, while emphasizing the need for equal-area maps when geographical comparisons are the primary concern.

The impetus behind this UN resolution for an accurate Africa map is rooted in a desire for scientific precision rather than political maneuvering. Togolese Foreign Minister Robert Dussey, speaking on behalf of the African Union, underscored that African nations are simply seeking recognition of their geographical scale based on verifiable scientific data. He explicitly stated that the initiative is not a plea for special treatment or compassion, nor is it a political bargain. Rather, it is a "scientific deal" aimed at ensuring the world accurately perceives Africa's true geographical dimensions.

Beyond governmental bodies, the resolution extends its call to educational institutions, encouraging them to adopt more proportionally accurate maps for geography instruction. Furthermore, it advocates for active engagement with technology companies and digital platforms. The goal here is to foster the promotion of accurate representations of continental sizes across all digital and educational mediums, ensuring that future generations develop a more truthful understanding of global geography.

This significant international effort follows the African Union's earlier endorsement of the broader "Correct the Map" campaign in August 2025. Following this endorsement, Togo was specifically tasked with spearheading the international push to advance this critical issue on the global stage. The widespread support for the UN resolution, with 164 countries, including Nigeria, voting in favor, highlights a growing global consensus on the importance of cartographic accuracy.

The initiative underscores a collective commitment to correcting historical inaccuracies in geographical representation. By promoting the Equal Earth projection and similar equal-area maps, the resolution aims to foster a more informed and scientifically grounded understanding of the world's continents, ensuring that Africa's true scale is appropriately recognized in global depictions.

Source: Original reporting via New Times