UN Votes 164-1 to Ditch Mercator Map Distorting Africa

The UN General Assembly backed an Equal Earth map to correct Mercator's shrinking of Africa, with only the United States voting against.

The United Nations General Assembly voted on Friday, September 4, 2026, to shift away from the 16th-century Mercator world map toward projections that more accurately show countries' true sizes. The resolution, sponsored by African states and led by Togo to further the African Union's campaign, passed 164 to 1 with 6 abstentions. It promotes the Equal Earth projection, which portrays the continents' sizes more faithfully, and passed in New York with Togo's Foreign Minister Robert Dussey championing the effort.

The near-unanimous result was broken by a single holdout: the United States, the only country to vote against the resolution. Washington said the measure promoted an "ideological agenda" and was a distraction from "genuine problems of international peace, prosperity or good relations." That a technical cartographic question drew an overwhelming consensus — and lone US opposition — underscores how maps have become a symbol of how the world is perceived, with Togo framing the issue as one of fairness rather than politics.

The Mercator projection, created in 1569, was designed to help sailors navigate, but it distorts relative sizes by expanding land masses near the poles. The best-known distortion: it makes Greenland appear roughly the same size as Africa, even though Africa is about 14 times larger. Because areas near the equator shrink while polar regions balloon, African states argue the map feeds a perception that their continent is peripheral — a consequence of colonization, according to Dussey.

The resolution is not legally binding, and the Togolese ministry stressed it "in no way challenges the use of the Mercator projection for maritime and aerial navigation, for which it remains fully suited." "A fair world begins with a fair map," Dussey told Reuters ahead of the vote, adding later that the discussion is "not a political discussion [but] a scientific discussion, because there is scientific proof." The African Union endorsed the #CorrectTheMap campaign in August 2025 before asking Togo to lead broader adoption efforts.

While symbolic, the vote carries real consequences for classrooms, governments and technology. Togo plans to change its school geography materials by the end of the year, with Dussey telling Reuters that "Togo will be the first country to change our own geography books." Supporters hope approval encourages changes to maps used in schools, government and technology. According to The News International, France has announced it will support the resolution and adopt the Eckert IV projection. Dussey linked the campaign to wider African efforts to confront colonial-era legacies while insisting it is not an attack on Europe or any other civilisation: "The world is changing. Africa also is changing."

Togo will press other governments, schools, international organisations and technology companies to move away from the centuries-old Mercator projection, arguing Equal Earth offers "the best perception" of the world. Dussey said Togo plans to meet African Union member states and supporters from other regions within the next six months to agree on how to promote wider adoption. He added that the next steps must include companies operating mapping, GPS and other location-based technologies — meaning everyday navigation apps could eventually reflect a fairer picture of the planet.