The United Nations General Assembly has voted and approved a new world map that gives a more accurate picture of the size of Africa and other continents, challenging the centuries-old map many people grew up seeing in classrooms.
The resolution, led by Togo and supported by the African Union, received 164 votes in favor.
The United States was the only country to vote against it. Serbia, Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova and Ukraine abstained.
The resolution is not legally binding and does not ban the traditional map. Instead, it encourages governments, schools and institutions to consider the Equal Earth projection.
The issue centers on the Mercator projection, developed in 1569 primarily for maritime navigation. While useful for navigation because it preserves angles and directions, it significantly distorts the relative size of landmasses, particularly as they move farther from the Equator.
Africa covers approximately 30.3 million square kilometers, making it one of the world’s largest continents. Africa is large enough to contain the United States, China, India and most of Europe, with land to spare.
Yet on a traditional Mercator map, Africa appears roughly the same size as Greenland.
The reality is striking: Africa is about 14 times larger than Greenland. Europe, by comparison, covers about 10.2 million square kilometers, while South America is approximately 17.8 million square kilometers.
The Equal Earth projection, developed in 2018, preserves the relative surface areas of continents much more accurately.
Supporters argue that correcting the distortion is important not only for geography, but also for education and how people perceive Africa’s place in the world.
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