UN votes to adopt new world map projection that makes Africa larger
The United Nations has voted to change the standard world map projection, with the new version depicting Africa, Latin America, South Asia and Oceania larger than they appear on the traditional Mercator map. The move addresses long-standing criticism that the old projection distorts the true size of countries near the equator.
The United Nations has voted to replace the world's most widely used map projection, moving away from the traditional Mercator map toward a new version that more accurately reflects the true size of continents.
What is changing
Under the new map, Africa, Latin America, South Asia and Oceania all appear significantly larger than they do on the conventional Mercator projection, which has served as the dominant mapping standard for centuries.
Why it matters
The Mercator projection, originally developed in the 16th century for navigation purposes, has long been criticized for disproportionately enlarging countries farther from the equator — such as those in Europe and North America — while visually shrinking regions closer to the equator. Over decades, this has contributed to a widespread misperception of the relative size of continents, which critics argue has reinforced geopolitical and cultural imbalances in how the world is perceived.
The UN's decision to adopt an alternative projection is seen as a step toward a more geographically accurate depiction of the world, reducing the long-standing visual bias that has diminished the apparent significance of countries in the Global South.
