UN Urges Shift From Mercator to Area‑Accurate World Maps

Overview

• The UN General Assembly approved a non-binding resolution on Sept. 4, 2026 encouraging a gradual move away from the Mercator projection toward area-equivalent designs such as Equal Earth.
• France announced it will stop using Mercator in its official maps, and the United States was reported as the only country to vote against the resolution.
• The measure was sponsored by Togo and backed by the African Union, which is organizing a Lomé meeting with UNESCO and technology companies in early 2027 to plan how to implement the change.
• Critics say Mercator inflates polar landmasses so Greenland can appear similar in size to Africa even though Africa is about 14 times larger, a distortion advocates call influential in shaping public views of global power.
• Because the UN resolution is non-binding, any real change depends on governments, school systems, map publishers and digital platforms such as Google to update curricula, official materials and mapping services over time.