On September 4, 2026, the United Nations General Assembly voted 164 to 1 to endorse a new world map projection intended to correct one of the most widely repeated visual distortions in modern cartography: the way standard world maps have made Africa look dramatically smaller than it actually is compared to countries like Greenland. Only the United States voted against the resolution, while Serbia, Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, and Ukraine abstained.

What the resolution actually does

The resolution, sponsored by Togo and backed by African Union member states, encourages governments, institutions, and organizations worldwide to adopt the Equal Earth projection in place of the traditional Mercator projection that has dominated world maps since the sixteenth century. It is important to be precise about what this resolution is and is not. It is not legally binding, and it does not ban or restrict use of the Mercator projection, which the resolution itself explicitly states remains fully suited for maritime and aerial navigation, the purpose it was originally designed for. What the resolution does is formally encourage wider adoption of equal-area projections, like Equal Earth, in contexts where accurately representing relative size matters more than navigational utility, classrooms, textbooks, media, and general reference maps being the clearest examples.

Why the Mercator projection distorts size in the first place

The Mercator projection, created by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569, was designed to solve a specific navigational problem: it preserves accurate compass bearings, meaning a straight line drawn on a Mercator map represents a constant compass direction, which was enormously useful for sailors plotting a course before modern navigation technology existed. The tradeoff for this navigational accuracy is severe distortion of relative size, particularly as you move away from the equator toward the poles. Landmasses near the equator, including most of Africa and South America, appear smaller than they actually are relative to landmasses at high latitudes, including Greenland, Canada, and Russia, which appear dramatically larger than their true size.

How large the distortion actually is

The scale of the distortion is the single fact most people underestimate. On a standard Mercator map, Greenland and Africa appear roughly similar in size. In reality, using an equal-area projection like Equal Earth that preserves true relative size, Africa is approximately 14 times larger than Greenland. Africa alone is large enough to contain the United States, China, India, and much of Europe combined within its actual landmass, a fact that is essentially invisible to anyone whose mental map of the world was shaped by Mercator-style maps, which remain the default projection used in classrooms, textbooks, and most major online mapping services for general reference purposes.

Why this distortion has been treated as a real problem, not just a technical curiosity

African governments and advocacy groups pushing for this change have argued the distortion is not a neutral cartographic accident but a visual pattern with real, if indirect, consequences: a world map that makes an entire continent look smaller than it is can subtly reinforce a broader perception of Africa as a less significant or less consequential part of the world, particularly for generations of students whose primary exposure to global geography comes through a classroom map on the wall. This argument formed the core of the campaign behind the resolution, framing accurate map representation as connected to broader questions of how the continent is perceived and represented in global institutions, media, and public consciousness.

The Equal Earth projection itself

Equal Earth is a relatively modern map projection, first published in 2018, specifically designed to preserve the true relative area of landmasses while keeping their shapes reasonably recognizable and visually pleasing, addressing a common criticism of earlier equal-area projections that achieved accurate sizing at the cost of making continents look oddly stretched or distorted in shape. It has gained increasing adoption among geographers, educators, and some media organizations over the past several years as an alternative to Mercator for general reference and educational maps specifically, ahead of this UN resolution giving it a formal international endorsement.

Why the United States voted against it

The search results and reporting around the vote note the United States as the sole country voting against the resolution, though detailed public reasoning from the US delegation was not extensively covered in initial reporting. Given the resolution’s non-binding, encouragement-only nature and its explicit preservation of Mercator’s continued use for navigation, a single no vote against an otherwise near-unanimous resolution is notable largely for its symbolism rather than for blocking any binding change, since the resolution carries no enforcement mechanism regardless of how any individual country votes.

Myths versus facts

Myth: the UN resolution bans the Mercator projection. Fact: it explicitly preserves Mercator’s use for maritime and aerial navigation and is non-binding, encouraging wider adoption of equal-area projections rather than prohibiting Mercator anywhere.

Myth: Africa and Greenland are roughly similar in size. Fact: Africa is approximately 14 times larger than Greenland in actual land area; the similar appearance on Mercator maps is a projection distortion, not an accurate size comparison.

Myth: this is the first time an alternative to Mercator has been proposed. Fact: multiple equal-area projections have existed for decades, and Equal Earth itself was published in 2018; the 2026 UN resolution is a formal international endorsement of an existing alternative, not a brand-new map projection created for this vote.

Frequently asked questions

Does this UN vote mean Google Maps and other services must switch projections?
No. The resolution is not legally binding and does not require any private company, government, or institution to change which map projection it uses, though it may influence voluntary adoption over time given the formal international endorsement.

How much bigger is Africa than it appears on a typical world map?
On a standard Mercator projection, Africa appears roughly similar in size to Greenland, when in reality Africa’s actual land area is about 14 times larger, large enough to contain the United States, China, India, and much of Europe within its true size.

Why was the Mercator projection created if it distorts size so much?
It was designed in 1569 specifically to preserve accurate compass bearings for maritime navigation, a critical need before modern navigation technology existed, and it remains genuinely useful for that specific purpose today, which is why the UN resolution explicitly preserves its navigational use.

Which countries did not support the resolution?
The United States was the only country to vote against it. Serbia, Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, and Ukraine abstained from the vote, while 164 member states voted in favor.

The bottom line

The UN’s September 2026 vote does not eliminate the Mercator projection or force any institution to change how it draws maps, but it does mark a significant formal acknowledgment that the most commonly used world map projection has, for centuries, made an entire continent look far smaller than it actually is. With Africa’s true size roughly 14 times that of Greenland, a fact obscured by the map most people grew up learning geography from, the resolution’s real impact will depend on how many classrooms, media organizations, and mapping platforms voluntarily follow the encouragement toward more size-accurate projections like Equal Earth in the years ahead.