05/09/2026
JUST IN: UN votes to change the world map so Africa looks its real size
The UN General Assembly voted Friday to back a new world map that shows Africa at its true scale.
The “Correct the Map” resolution, led by Togo and the African Union, passed 164–1. Only the United States voted no. Six countries abstained.
For centuries most of us have used the Mercator map. On it, Africa looks about the same size as Greenland. Africa is actually 14 times bigger. You could fit the U.S., China, India, Japan, Mexico and a big chunk of Europe inside it and still have space left.
The resolution is not legally binding. It asks schools, governments and tech companies to start using maps like the Equal Earth projection, which keeps land areas in proportion. Mercator can still be used for navigation.
Togo’s foreign minister put it simply: “A fair world begins with a fair map.”
The U.S. called the vote superfluous and said it was a distraction. France has already said it will drop Mercator for official maps.
Change won’t happen overnight. But the UN just put official weight behind a map that finally shows how big Africa really is.
