The UN General Assembly will vote to replace the Mercator map with a more accurate depiction of Africa

The UN General Assembly will vote on Friday to abandon the traditional Mercator map of the world in favor of a more realistic image showing the true size of Africa, writes The Guardian.

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“The discussion of this issue is not political, but scientific. The scientific evidence is there, and we must recognize reality,” the publication quotes Togolese Foreign Minister Robert Dusset as saying.

Africa on the Mercator world map and on the Equal Earth map

Africa on the Mercator world map and on the Equal Earth map

As the publication notes, the initiative belongs to Togo and is supported by all 54 countries of the African Union.

The traditional map, created in 1569 by the Flemish geographer Gerardus Mercator, significantly distorts the actual size of the continents: Africa appears comparable to Greenland, although in fact it is 14 times larger in territory.