03 / 10
UN backs Equal Earth map in 164-1 vote
The UN voted to move away from the Mercator map in favour of a projection that better preserves relative land areas.
What happened
The UN General Assembly adopted a Togo-sponsored resolution to phase out the Mercator projection in favour of the Equal Earth design. The vote was 164 in favour, six abstentions and one against, cast by the United States. African supporters sought maps that show Africa’s relative area more accurately.
Numbers
- 164 countriesvoted for the resolution
- 6 countriesabstained in the General Assembly
- 1569year Mercator introduced his projection
Questions
- Why do familiar maps distort size?
- Mercator distortion increases farther from the equator, making high-latitude regions look larger relative to lands nearer it.
- Which regions look enlarged on Mercator?
- Europe, North America, Greenland and Russia look larger, while Africa, South America and India look smaller than their real areas.
- How old is the Mercator projection?
- It dates from the sixteenth century, when Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator produced the representation still widely used today.
- Why did African sponsors pursue change?
- They sought to correct a depiction they view as visually shrinking the continent and promote more proportionate continental areas.
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The catch
The resolution concerns UN map use; coverage gives no timetable for changes by schools or publishers.