The resolution received support from 164 countries, while the United States voted against it. According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), the resolution supports the “Equal Earth” map projection, which shows Africa, Latin America, South Asia and Oceania closer to their actual sizes than on traditional world maps.
The UN has urged member states to encourage the use of the new projection instead of the widely used Mercator projection.
What Is Wrong With the Mercator Map?
The Mercator projection was developed in 1569 primarily to assist sailors with navigation and sea routes. However, it does not accurately represent the relative size of different regions of the world.
On the Mercator map, areas in the northern parts of the world, particularly Europe and North America, appear much larger than their actual size. Meanwhile, Africa and South America, which are closer to the equator, appear comparatively smaller.
Experts say the distortion is largely a result of the difficulty of representing the Earth's spherical surface on a flat map, which causes the apparent size of some regions to increase significantly.
The Equal Earth projection was developed by cartographers in 2018 with the aim of showing the areas of the world's continents in more accurate proportions. Supporters say this could help people develop a better understanding of the actual size of different regions.
The resolution was introduced by Togo. Togo's Foreign Minister Robert Dussey said maps do more than represent geography, as they can also influence education and people's perceptions of the world.
The United States, however, criticized the resolution, arguing that the United Nations should focus on real-world problems rather than maps.
France supported the resolution and announced that it would move away from the traditional Mercator projection and encourage the use of the new map.
