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Why the UN Wants to Redraw the Map of the World
When Geography Also Becomes a Geopolitical Matter
On Friday, September 4, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution to promote a global map that more accurately reflects the actual sizes of the continents. The resolution, sponsored by Togo and the African Union and co-sponsored by France, was adopted by a vote of 164 in favor, with one vote against (that of the United States) and six abstentions.
Put that way, one might imagine a meeting of nerdy geographers and cartographers, sitting for hours debating deeply technical subjects and insignificant details. But it’s important to understand that the subject of maps and the representation of the world is not symbolic or artistic, but rather geopolitical.
And to understand why, we must first understand the map we all grew up with.
The Mercator Projection
The world map we all know was drawn by the Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator in the 16th century, and its purpose was to facilitate maritime navigation. But it exaggerates the size of territories located at high latitudes; in one word, it depicts a world that is too distorted.
The Mercator projection therefore artificially stretches regions near the poles at the expense of equatorial zones. In Mercator’s time, Africa was considered terra incognita, and on his projection it appears to be about the same size as Greenland, when in reality it is 14 times larger!
The day I realized just how immense Africa is came far too late in my life, I think. And that’s due to a representation that is not neutral.
One thing needs to be clarified about the Mercator projection: it wasn’t designed to “lie” about the size of the continents. Its primary function was navigation, and since it preserves angles, among other things, it greatly facilitated the drawing of sea routes.
A Map Is Always a Compromise
The real problem comes when we use this projection to visually compare the areas of different territories. For that, there’s a great website (one I’ve spent a lot of time on with colleagues during work hours): The True Size Of… It helps you see the distortion at the poles and also compare countries with one another. This extremely well-designed site has shaken up quite a few of my assumptions.
Because, in reality, world maps are always wrong from a technical point of view because they’re projections. There’s no geometric solution for accurately representing a spherical Earth on a flat surface. Not even OpenAI and 10,000 agents working together nonstop for three months could solve this problem.
So we have to make choices about representation. One projection may preserve angles, another areas, and yet another distances or shapes. But we can’t preserve everything at the same time.
The Geopolitics of Maps
Since world maps cannot be entirely accurate, everyone defends their own geographic projection based on their political, diplomatic, economic, military, and other interests… And that is, of course, understandable.
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Maps have always had political significance. In this photo, for example, we see U.S. President Roosevelt with a world map in the background. Note that, in this depiction, the United States is at the center of the world. Personally, I grew up with this world map as a child, and I’ve always hated the excessive importance given to the oceans in this representation. This is purely a personal opinion, of course.
And I’m not going to go into detail here about the divisions/butchering drawn with a ruler and pencil on maps of Africa during the Berlin Conference (1884–1885), or of the Middle East by Sykes and Picot in 1916. It would take an entire article to discuss that, and in any case, it’s a different topic.
Africa Wants to “Correct the Map”
It is precisely in this context that we must understand the initiative led by the African Union. Africa, a continent that has been severely overlooked by Mercator, has brought the issue before the United Nations.
“For centuries, the Mercator projection has downplayed Africa, fueling a narrative that Africa is smaller, peripheral, and less important.”
Fara Ndiaye, co-founder of the pan-African organization Speak Up Africa.
Fara Ndiaye is the instigator of the “Correct the Map” campaign, launched in April 2025 in partnership with another organization, Africa No Filter.
“The current size of Africa on the map is false. It is one of the largest disinformation campaigns in the world.”
Moky Makura, executive director of Africa No Filter.
These statements are obviously activist in nature, and here again, one can understand the perspective of those involved. But above all, they clearly illustrate the significance of the cartographic debate on questions of representation. As a new geopolitical reality takes shape, a new geographic reality is also emerging.
Equal Earth: Can We Finally Have a “Fair” Map?
It’s a beautiful phrase: Equal Earth. It could be a Michael Jackson song, sung in chorus. But more seriously, the idea behind the United Nations resolution is simply to promote cartography that more closely represents reality.
The projection highlighted in the UN text is Equal Earth, a projection created in 2018 that preserves the relative areas of the continents. The goal isn’t to find the perfect map. You’ve probably realized that such a thing doesn’t exist, but we can make choices: since we can’t preserve everything on a flat map, why not give priority to the actual size of territories when the goal is precisely to compare their areas? So we choose a projection that preserves the areas.
“Maps are not merely geographical tools. Maps shape our understanding of the world. They guide education, fuel the imagination, and influence collective perceptions. They are therefore never neutral: when they present a distorted image of our planet, they risk perpetuating erroneous representations passed down from generation to generation.”
Robert Dussey, Togo’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, speaking at the UN.
The resolution passed 164 to 1 (the United States) with six abstentions. But here, too, we must be precise: the UN has not legally banned the Mercator projection. The text encourages states, schools, international organizations, and technology companies to use Equal Earth and other equivalent projections when area conservation is relevant.
The United States was the only country to oppose the resolution. Proof, if any were needed, that this is not just about geography. Take, for example, renaming a gulf or a lake; there, too, it is not just about geography.
And What About the Other Major Powers?
In France, which co-sponsored the text of the UN resolution, the choice made is slightly different: France has decided to abandon the Mercator projection in favor of the Eckert IV projection to better reflect reality. The Eckert IV projection, like Equal Earth, is an area-preserving projection. It is close to the objective advocated by the resolution, even if it is not exactly the same projection.
And what about China, the other major power? Well, they use several projections, and there is one in particular that is interesting.
Since 2014, Chinese authorities (notably the Ministry of Defense and scientific institutes) have approved and adopted a polar/vertical projection designed by researcher Hao Xiaoguang. This map chooses to divide the globe along parallels rather than meridians, and it shows us the world in a more vertical perspective.
There is so much to say about this map. For one thing, it gives great significance to the Arctic and reveals that the shortest sea route between China and North America passes through the North Pole (the “Polar Silk Road”) rather than through the Pacific Ocean. I had never really thought about that before seeing this map! Some say this map also allows China to show its ambitions both on land and at sea, particularly in the Arctic.
One detail I love (and which you can interpret however you like) is that it splits America into two distinct and far-apart parts: the North on one side and the South on the other. In fact, the U.S. rival is relegated to the periphery of the world and firmly compressed by this projection. The Middle Kingdom has never been a more fitting name.
It’s clear that a map centered on Beijing tells a completely different story than one centered on Washington, Paris, or Moscow. And what about Russia, by the way?
Vladimir Putin has already announced that 2027 will be the Year of Geography. His goal is to publish new official Russian maps that align with his worldview. At the Russian Geographical Society’s congress in October 2025, he himself emphasized that this issue was important “from a political standpoint” and spoke of the consolidation of new maps of the Russian Federation.
A Map Doesn’t Change the World
But it transforms our perspective, and it’s that perspective that then defines the actions that shape the world. So, after all, does it actually change the world, even a little?
That’s what’s most interesting about this UN resolution.
No country is actually going to shrink. The United States isn’t losing any territory, France isn’t gaining any, and Africa isn’t suddenly getting bigger. What’s changing is our representation of the world and, consequently, our awareness of it. And that changes everything.
For centuries, we’ve been looking at the world through a projection designed for 16th-century sailors. We grew up with it, learned geography with it, and memorized countries and continents with it. It was time for a change, wasn’t it?
Thank you for reading! I’m Kamel Lahssini, and I share stories about how humans observe and map the world. If you want to read more, don’t hesitate to follow me. I’m always happy to reply to a thoughtful comment and start a conversation!
