The UN General Assembly voted to replace the traditional world map with one that more accurately reflects the real size of Africa.

The “Correct the Map” resolution, initiated by Togo and supported by members of the African Union (AU), was approved by 164 states, including France and the United Kingdom. The United States was the only country to vote against, with six other states abstaining.

The Mercator projection map, widely used since the 16th century, has long been criticized for distorting the size of territories.

In particular, Africa appears to be roughly comparable in area to Greenland, although in reality it is approximately 14 times larger.

Critics say this visual distortion downplays the importance, economic potential, and development needs of countries located near the equator.

What is the Mercator projection?

The Mercator projection was created in 1569 by the Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator to help European sailors navigate long voyages.

The distortions on this map stem from the fact that the surface of the globe cannot be accurately mapped onto a flat two-dimensional map. Compromises are inevitable when creating any world map.

In the Mercator projection, territories near the equator appear smaller relative to countries and regions located closer to the poles, the sizes of which, on the contrary, visually increase.

Google machine translated