Overview
- The General Assembly voted in favor of the African‑led “Correct the Map” text on Friday with 164 countries supporting, one against and six abstentions.
- The resolution urges use of the Equal Earth and other equal‑area projections because the Mercator map inflates lands near the poles and shrinks equatorial regions, a distortion that makes Greenland appear roughly the same size as Africa even though Africa is about 14 times larger.
- The measure is non‑binding and does not ban the Mercator projection, which remains useful for maritime and aerial navigation; it instead recommends equal‑area maps where relative size matters.
- France announced it will stop using Mercator and Togo said it will convene African Union members, UNESCO and mapping companies to push practical changes in classrooms, textbooks and digital platforms.
- Supporters say the change aims to correct long‑running visual biases that shape perceptions of development and power, and the main effects to watch are curriculum revisions and whether major mapping services change default projections.