Story perspectives

UN backs new Africa map, swaps Mercator for Equal Earth

9/5/2026

Summary

Story summary

The United Nations General Assembly endorsed a new world map that accurately represents Africa.
Togo’s Foreign Minister Robert Dussey sponsored the resolution, which passed with 164 votes.
The United States cast the only vote against resolution; Serbia, Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova and Ukraine abstained.
The resolution urges replacing the Mercator projection with the Equal Earth projection.
In the Equal Earth map Africa appears fourteen times larger than Greenland, correcting distortion.

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Story summary

The United Nations General Assembly endorsed a new world map that accurately represents Africa.
Togo’s Foreign Minister Robert Dussey sponsored the resolution, which passed with 164 votes.
The United States cast the only vote against resolution; Serbia, Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova and Ukraine abstained.
The resolution urges replacing the Mercator projection with the Equal Earth projection.
In the Equal Earth map Africa appears fourteen times larger than Greenland, correcting distortion.