{"id":673344,"date":"2026-09-05T04:06:06","date_gmt":"2026-09-05T04:06:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/673344\/"},"modified":"2026-09-05T04:06:06","modified_gmt":"2026-09-05T04:06:06","slug":"us-the-only-country-to-vote-against-major-map-reform-to-more-accurately-display-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/673344\/","title":{"rendered":"US the only country to vote against major map reform to more accurately display Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"

THE UNITED NATIONS General Assembly voted to back a resolution spearheaded by several African countries to adopt a map that makes their continent bigger while shrinking North America and Europe.<\/p>\n

The United States was the only country to vote against the move. Seven others abstained.<\/p>\n

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On Friday, the United Nations General Assembly adopted an African proposal for a new world map, which shows countries\u2019 true size relative to one another. <\/p>\n

In favor: 164
Against: 1
Abstentions: 6 pic.twitter.com\/5BE4LUiojH<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 UN News (@UN_News_Centre) September 4, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Aimed at \u201ca more accurate representation\u201d of continental landmasses, the resolution was supported by 164 countries.<\/p>\n

The new map \u2013 known as the Equal Earth cartographic projection \u2013 \u201cis a relevant option for improving the accuracy of the cartographic representation of the world,\u201d the resolution said.<\/p>\n

It urges member states to adopt the new map in place of the traditional Mercator projection, which was designed for maritime navigation by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569.<\/p>\n

Foreign Minister Robert Dussey of Togo, which drove the resolution, said maps \u201cguide education, nourish the imagination, and influence collective perceptions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are therefore never neutral, when they present a distorted image of our planet, they risk perpetuating inaccurate representation that are passed down through generation.\u201d<\/p>\n

The United States, however, slammed the resolution, saying such moves are \u201cthe reason this institution is losing its credibility.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cInstead of focusing on genuine problems\u2026 this body is debating map projects from the 16th century and their role in promoting reparations and cognitive justice,\u201d US representative Yaryna Ferencevych said ahead of the vote.\n<\/p>\n

\u2018Distorted representation\u2019<\/p>\n

UsefulClips<\/a> \/ YouTube<\/p>\n

The Mercator projection focused on accurate depictions of the shapes and angles of land masses, but their relative sizes were often inaccurate \u2014 in part due to the challenge of rendering a three-dimensional globe onto a two-dimensional map.<\/p>\n

It inflated northern regions and compressed equatorial ones, making Europe and North America appear much larger, while shrinking Africa and South America.<\/p>\n

A group of cartographers launched the Equal Earth projection in 2018.\u00a0It makes Africa, Latin America, South Asia and Oceania appear much larger.<\/p>\n

\u201cEqual Earth preserves the relative surface areas of continents and, as much as possible, shows their shapes as they appear on a globe,\u201d one of the cartographers, Bojan Savric, told news agency AFP in 2025.<\/p>\n

France, which co-sponsored the resolution in support of the new map, announced today that it would abandon the Mercator projection.<\/p>\n

In that map, \u201cthe United States, Russia and China take on a disproportionate visual prominence compared to Africa, Latin America or southeast Asia,\u201d while \u201cGreenland appears almost as big as Africa,\u201d foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said.<\/p>\n

\u201cChanging maps obviously doesn\u2019t change the world,\u201d he said. \u201cBut correcting a distorted representation is already an act of truth.\u201d<\/p>\n

The initiative comes as France is seeking to improve relations with Africa, particularly in former colonies with which it has prickly ties.<\/p>\n