UN votes to adopt new world map despite US opposition

The “Correct the Map” resolution –– put forward by African Union member states, as well as the Bahamas –– passed with overwhelming support: 164 member states voted in favor, six abstained and only the United States voted against it.

The resolution aims to give an “equitable” representation of the globe’s regions, particularly Africa, arguing that the distortions in the current world map mean the continent has undergone a “symbolic minimization” in people’s collective imagination. At present, many of the world’s maps are based on the Mercator projection, created by European cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569.

It is widely used for navigation since the north-south lines have constant true bearings relative to the equator. However, it is less useful as a world map since the scale is distorted, with countries further from the equator appearing disproportionately larger than those closest.

For example, on the Mercator, Greenland appears larger than the continent of South America and appears similar in size to Africa. In reality, Greenland is roughly the size of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Africa is 14 times the size of Greenland.

Some critics of the Mercator projection suspect it has remained widely used because it enlarges and centers Europe, as well as other Western regions such as North America, perpetuating ideas of European superiority.

The UN resolution notes “with concern that this distortion contributes to minimizing the perceived sizes of Africa, Latin America and South Asia, and perpetuating an unbalanced view of the world.”It adds that the distortions also “contribute to minimizing the extent of socioeconomic realities, infrastructure needs, development potential and prosperity in the Southern regions, and that they can fuel prejudices in the environmental, geopolitical and security fields.”