UN adopts equal-area maps to correct Mercator distortion

What's happened

UN General Assembly has voted to promote the Equal Earth projection as a nonbinding alternative to Mercator, led by Togo and backed by 164 nations including the UK. The US votes against; six abstain. The measure urges governments, schools, and tech companies to adopt equal-area maps where continental size matters, aiming to normalize more accurate representations globally.

What's behind the headline?

Analysis

• The resolution marks a symbolic shift toward cartographic accuracy, but its nonbinding nature limits immediate impact.
• The US vote against highlights geopolitical contention around standards and influence in global institutions.
• Expect a pilot phase with institutions like Google Maps to test practical changes, potentially nudging education and policy toward Equal Earth.
• The move could recalibrate public mental maps of the world, especially in classrooms and developing regions.
• Readers should watch for concrete implementation steps in early 2027 and any follow-up UN recommendations.

Tone and implications

• This is a governance signal more than a reform; real change depends on voluntary adoption by authorities and platforms.
• The campaign frames the shift as correcting historical bias, which may influence policymakers and educators.

How we got here

The campaign argues Mercator overstates northern regions and understates equatorial regions, shaping perceptions for centuries. The African Group and African Union backed the effort, connected to broader UN resolutions addressing historical injustices. Implementation will be explored in 2027 with UNESCO and tech firms.

Our analysis

Independent reports on the UN vote indicate broad international support and US abstention. Al Jazeera provides context on the debate and the technical underpinnings of Equal Earth. Both note nonbinding status and planned collaborations with UNESCO and technology companies for practical rollout.

Go deeper

• What countries have already started adopting Equal Earth in schools?
• How will tech platforms implement the change in maps used by citizens?
• What are critics saying about the feasibility and cost of switching to Equal Earth?

More on these topics

• African Union

  The African Union is a continental union consisting of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the African Union.

• UNESCO - Agency

  The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation is a specialised agency of the United Nations aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, the sciences, and culture.

• United Nations - Intergovernmental organization

  The United Nations is an intergovernmental organization that aims to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations.

• United States - Country in North America

  The United States of America, commonly known as the United States or America, is a country mostly located in central North America, between Canada and Mexico.

• Togo - Country in West Africa

  Togo, officially the Togolese Republic, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It is one of the least developed countries in the world. It extends north from the Gulf of Guinea (where its capital, Lomé, is located) to the Burkina Faso-Togo border. It is a small, tropical country, spanning 57,000 square kilometres (22,000 square miles) with a population of approximately 8 million. It has a width of less than 115 km (71 mi) between Ghana and its eastern neighbour Benin. Various people settled the boundaries of present-day Togo between the 11th and 16th centuries. Between the 16th and 18th centuries, the coastal region served primarily as a European slave trading outpost, earning Togo and the surrounding region the name "The Slave Coast". In 1884, during the scramble for Africa, Germany established a protectorate in the region called Togoland. After World War I, Togo was transferred to France with its contemporary borders. Togo gained independence from France in 1960. In 1967, Gnassingbé Eyadéma led a successful military coup d'état and became president of an anti-communist, single-party state. In 1993...

• Africa - Continent

  Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.3 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area and 20% of its land area.

• Arno Peters - German historian

  Arno Peters was a German historian who developed the Peters world map, based on the Gall–Peters projection.

• Russia - Country

  Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country located in Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. Covering an area of 17,125,200 square kilometres, it is the largest country in the world by area, spanning more than one-eighth of the Earth's in

• Greenland - Territory

  Greenland is the world's largest island, located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. It is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark.

• African Group - United Nations regional group

  The Group of African States, or African Group, is one of the five United Nations regional groups and is composed of 54 Member States from the African continent.

• North America - Continent

  North America is a continent entirely within the Northern Hemisphere and almost all within the Western Hemisphere. It can also be described as a northern subcontinent of the Americas, or America, in models that use fewer than seven continents.

• Europe - Region in Europe

  Central Europe is the region comprising the central part of Europe. Central Europe occupies continuous territories that are otherwise sometimes considered parts of Western Europe, Southern Europe and Eastern Europe.

• Mercator projection - Cylindrical map projection invented by Gerardus Mercator in 1569

  The Mercator projection is a conformal cylindrical map projection first presented by Flemish geographer and mapmaker Gerardus Mercator in 1569.

• United Nations General Assembly

  The United Nations General Assembly is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, serving as the main deliberative, policy-making, and representative organ of the UN.

• United Kingdom - Country in Europe

  The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom or Britain, is a sovereign country located off the north­western coast of the European mainland.