The United Nations General Assembly has backed a new world map that gives a more accurate picture of the size of Africa and other continents.
The resolution, sponsored by Togo and supported by the African Union, encourages countries and institutions to move away from the widely used Mercator projection and adopt the 2018 Equal Earth design.
It passed with 164 votes in favor, six abstentions and one vote against from the United States.
The Mercator map was created by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569 to help sailors navigate.
However, its design makes areas farther from the equator appear much larger than they really are.
For example, Africa appears roughly similar in size to Greenland on the Mercator map, even though Africa is about 14 times larger.
Togo's Foreign Affairs Minister Robert Dussey said the issue was not political but scientific.
“This discussion is not a political discussion but a scientific discussion, because there is scientific proof so we all have to accept the reality,” Dussey said.
Togo said distorted maps have had “lasting cognitive, educational, cultural, geopolitical and socioeconomic effects” by making Africa appear smaller in the world's collective imagination.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot also backed the move, saying France would abandon the Mercator projection for maps “more faithful to actual surface areas.”
The resolution is not legally binding, so countries are not required to stop using Mercator maps.
However, it could influence schools, technology platforms and public institutions.
Dussey said: “It is time for us to change the narrative.”
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