UN Votes 164-1 to Ditch the Map That Shrinks Africa — America Says No
The UN General Assembly voted 164 to 1, with six abstentions, to adopt a resolution promoting the Equal Earth projection and other equal-area maps over the 16th-century Mercator projection, which visually shrinks Africa and other equatorial regions relative to northern landmasses. The measure, introduced by Togo on behalf of the African Group with backing from the African Union, encourages governments, schools, international organizations and technology companies to adopt maps that preserve countries’ true relative size, and does not ban Mercator outright [1]. Serbia, Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova and Ukraine abstained from the vote [1].
The United States cast the lone vote against the resolution, dismissing it as part of a “radical ideological project” that “cannot be separated from the much larger and more radical ideological project it belongs to.” A US statement argued the General Assembly should focus on “genuine problems of international peace, prosperity, or good relations” instead of “map projects from the 16th century and their role in promoting reparations and cognitive justice” [2, 3]. Under Equal Earth, Africa appears roughly 14 times larger than Greenland, reflecting the continents’ actual relative size, compared to the near-parity the two landmasses show under Mercator [1].
Why It Sucks:
US Conservatives
- The UN wastes time on symbolism. With wars and humanitarian crises demanding attention, conservatives argue the General Assembly spent its political capital re-litigating a 16th-century cartography choice instead of “genuine problems of international peace, prosperity, or good relations” [2, 3].
- “Cognitive justice” language sets a bad precedent. The US delegation’s objection that the measure is tied to “promoting reparations and cognitive justice” resonates with conservatives wary of international bodies importing domestic culture-war framing into supposedly neutral technical questions like map projections [2, 3].
- A resolution that will get taught as settled fact. Conservatives worry that even a “non-binding” UN resolution will filter into schools and textbooks as an ideological mandate rather than a genuine cartographic improvement [1, 2].
US Progressives
- America stands alone against 164 nations. Progressives point out that the US was the only country to vote no, isolating itself internationally over a resolution that even close allies didn’t oppose [1, 2].
- Reflexive rejection of anything framed as equity. The administration’s framing of an accurate map as a “radical ideological project” strikes progressives as proof that any initiative invoking historical inequity gets dismissed on principle, regardless of its actual merits [2, 3].
- Colonial-era distortion defended for its own sake. Progressives argue that a map projection literally created for 16th-century naval navigation, which happens to shrink Africa and enlarge Europe and North America, deserved correction, not a culture-war veto [1].
African Nations & the African Union
- A win years in the making, but a limited one. Togo and the African Union spent years building the coalition behind this resolution, yet the final text doesn’t ban Mercator, meaning old maps and textbooks can persist unchanged for years [1].
- It shouldn’t have taken a UN campaign. That an accurate depiction of Africa’s true size, roughly 14 times larger than Greenland, required a formal General Assembly vote at all underscores how entrenched the distorted Mercator view has become in global default settings [1].
- Neighbors’ abstentions sting. Watching Serbia, Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova and Ukraine abstain rather than back a straightforward accuracy measure is a reminder of how much diplomatic friction even a technical fix can generate [1].
Sources & Citations:
[1] Al Jazeera: UN votes to adopt new world map that reflects Africa’s true size
[2] The National: US opposes UN adoption of map showing Africa’s true size
[3] UN News: UN tells the world: Stop making Africa look small