U.N. to Vote on African-Backed Proposal for New World Map

The United Nations is preparing to vote on a proposal from African countries calling for a shift to a new world map projection. The proposed Equal Earth map is designed to more accurately reflect the true relative size of countries and continents compared to one another.

Why It Matters

The centuries-old Mercator projection, while useful for navigation, distorts the proportions of landmasses — territories farther from the equator appear larger than they actually are. Critics argue this has long created a misleading impression, making Africa look considerably smaller on the map than it is in reality when compared with regions such as Greenland or Europe.

An Alternative Projection

The Equal Earth projection was developed specifically to address this distortion, preserving the accurate relative sizes of countries. The proposal submitted by African nations to the U.N. marks an attempt to change a widely used and long-standing geographic representation at the international level.

The upcoming U.N. vote is seen as a step in the broader conversation about how map projections shape perceptions of the relative importance and scale of continents and countries around the world.