United Nations Decision to Use New Map Instead of Mercator Map Projection

The United Nations (UN) General Assembly adopted a resolution encouraging the use of maps that more accurately show the actual surface areas of countries and continents, instead of the Mercator world map projection that has been used for approximately 450 years.

According to Reuters, while African countries led the initiative, Togo led the campaign. The resolution received the support of 164 countries at the UN General Assembly. While one country voted against it, six countries abstained.

The only country that opposed the decision was the United States.

AFRICA IS BIGGER THAN IT SEEMS

At the center of the debate is the Mercator projection, which has been used since the 16th century.

As a natural result of transferring a spherical surface to a flat map, the Mercator map seriously distorts the sizes of land masses, especially as one approaches the poles. One of the most striking examples of this is the comparison between Greenland and Africa.

While the sizes of Greenland and Africa appear to be close to each other on the Mercator map, the actual surface area of ​​Africa is approximately 14 times that of Greenland.

The initiative, supported by the African Union, therefore aims to expand the use of the Equal World projection, which more accurately reflects the relative sizes of the continents, instead of Mercator.

Togo's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Robert Dussey, summarized the basic idea of the initiative in his statement to Reuters before the vote:

“A just world starts with a fair map.”

WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE OLD MAPS?

The decision taken by the UN is not legally binding. It also does not envisage the complete abandonment of the Mercator projection.

The Togolese Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that the use of Mercator, especially in sea and air navigation, is not questioned and that the projection is still functional in these areas.

The main goal is to disseminate projections that provide more accurate area comparisons in schools, educational materials and general-purpose world maps, which play an important role in the formation of world perception.

WHY DID THE USA VOTE AGAINST IT?

The United States, the only country that voted against the decision, argued that the initiative supported an "ideological agenda".

Washington administration claimed that the map debate distracted from 'real problems of peace, prosperity and good international relations'.

THEY WILL CHANGE THEIR SCHOOL BOOKS

The Togo administration is preparing to implement the decision in its own education system.

Dussey stated that Mercator maps are still widely used in geography classes in the country and that they aim to change school materials by the end of 2026.

"Togo will be the first country to change geography books," Dussey said, adding that the change should first start from the classroom in order to set an example for other countries.

CALL TO TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES

Over the next six months, Togo will work to promote wider adoption of the Equal World projection by meeting with African Union members and other countries that support the initiative.

In the later stages of the campaign, it is planned to meet with companies that develop digital maps, GPS and location-based technologies.

Dussey evaluated the worldwide prevalence of the Mercator map as one of the legacies of the colonial period, but emphasized that the campaign did not target Europe or any other civilization.