The UN General Assembly has approved a resolution to retire the 16th-century Mercator map projection in favour of the 2018 Equal Earth design, with 164 nations voting in support and only the United States opposing the move.
The UN General Assembly has voted to formally phase out the Mercator projection, the dominant world map since 1569, in favour of the Equal Earth projection developed by an international team of cartographers in 2018. The resolution, sponsored by Togo on behalf of the African Union, passed with 164 votes in favour, six abstentions, and one opposing vote from the United States.
The Mercator projection, created by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator to aid maritime navigation, distorts landmass sizes due to the inherent challenges of representing a three-dimensional globe on a two-dimensional surface. The projection significantly minimises regions near the equator while enlarging high-latitude areas—most notably depicting Africa as roughly equivalent in size to Greenland, despite Africa being 14 times larger. Supporters of the resolution argue this cartographic distortion has reinforced perceptions that undervalue Africa's resources, population and economic potential.
Togo's Foreign Minister Robert Dussey characterised the matter as a scientific rather than political issue, stating that map representations shape how continents are perceived globally. France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot indicated his country would abandon the Mercator projection in favour of alternatives closer to Equal Earth. The United States representative, Yaryna Ferencevych, characterised the resolution as superfluous, arguing it distracted from substantive UN work on peace and prosperity.
The UN resolution is non-binding, meaning countries and institutions are not mandated to adopt the Equal Earth projection or prohibited from using the Mercator map. However, observers expect the vote to influence updates to educational curricula and mapping technology given the Mercator projection's widespread use in schools, government and digital platforms. Advocates frame the shift as part of efforts to decolonise global knowledge systems and correct long-standing biases in how Africa is represented internationally.