The debate that the projections used for years on world maps distort the true sizes of the continents was brought to the United Nations General Assembly. The "Correct the Map" decision, prepared under the leadership of African countries, was accepted by the votes of 164 countries in order to encourage the use of maps that more accurately reflect the surface measurements of countries and continents.
While six countries abstained, the United States was the only country that voted against the decision. The decision aims to eliminate distortions that cause Africa, Latin America and South Asia to be perceived as smaller on world maps than they actually are.
MERCATOR PROJECTION HAS BEEN USED FOR YEARS
According to CNN International, at the center of the debate is the Mercator projection, developed by European cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569. This system has been widely used for many years due to the convenience it provides, especially in maritime and navigation.
However, due to the transfer of the global surface to a flat map, the land masses appear larger as you move from the equator towards the poles. For this reason, when looking at the Mercator map, Greenland can be perceived as being close to the size of the African continent.
In reality, Africa is about 14 times the size of Greenland. Greenland's surface area is approximately equivalent to that of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
CALL FOR "FIX THE MAP"
The "Fix the Map" resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly does not envisage banning the Mercator projection. Instead, it is aimed to expand the use of alternative projections that show the surface measurements of countries and continents more accurately compared to each other.
The decision noted that distortions in existing maps could reduce the perceived size of Latin America and South Asia, as well as Africa. It was stated that this situation may contribute to the lower perception of the economic, geopolitical and development potential of the regions in question.
The decision also stated that distortions in the maps could feed prejudices in environmental, geopolitical and security areas.
EQUAL EARTH MAP FEATURES
The UN resolution highlights the Equal Earth projection, which aims to more accurately show the relative surface area of different parts of the world.
In the Equal Earth map introduced in 2018, extreme scale differences in the Mercator projection are reduced. Therefore, while Africa appears much larger, the size of Greenland on the map is significantly smaller. Europe also has a smaller area compared to its appearance in Mercator.
According to experts, it is not possible to perfectly show all the features of the global surface at the same time on a flat world map. Each projection serves different purposes and reflects some features better than others.
FRANCE IS ALSO PREPARING TO GIVE UP ON MERCATOR
The map debate also extended to Europe. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced that his country would abandon the Mercator projection.
Barrot stated that countries located at high latitudes, especially the USA, Russia and China, stand out disproportionately on the maps compared to Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia.
Barrot stated that "distortions eventually take root in perceptions" and that "it is time to correct them."
INITIATIVE MOVED FROM THE AFRICAN UNION TO THE UN
African countries are behind the "Fix the Map" initiative. The African Union took steps to adopt the Equal Earth map in March. Togo, on behalf of the African Union, called on UN member states in April.
A draft resolution was subsequently prepared and the UN General Assembly held informal consultations on the issue in July.
“Africa, once reduced to size on maps, now insists on being seen in its true dimensions, geographically, historically, morally, culturally, economically, diplomatically and globally,” Amma Twum-Amoah, Commissioner of the African Union Department of Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, said in March.
A CALL TO DIGITAL MAPS
The decision was not limited to printed maps only. The UN draft also called for digital mapping platforms to consider the use of more accurate projections.
Since digital mapping platforms such as Google Maps use a version of the Mercator projection, the change is intended to spread widely, from educational materials to official maps and digital platforms.
The new decision does not change the borders or area measurements of the countries. What is intended to change is how the global surface is represented on a flat map.
The world will remain the same world, but depending on the projection used, the appearance of continents and countries on the map will become much closer to reality.
