On September 4, 2026, the United Nations General Assembly officially adopted a resolution titled Fix the Map. This international document advocates for the broader adoption of the Equal Earth projection as a standard alternative to the traditional Mercator map, which has dominated global cartography for centuries.
The initiative was spearheaded by Togo with the full backing of the African Union. The resolution secured overwhelming support, with 164 nations voting in favor, including major powers like France and the United Kingdom. Conversely, the United States stood alone in its opposition, while six other nations chose to abstain from the vote.
The Mercator projection, which dates back to 1569, is notorious for its significant size distortions. On this map, Africa appears roughly the same size as Greenland, even though the continent is actually 14 times larger in reality. In contrast, the Equal Earth projection, created in 2018 by a dedicated team of cartographers, preserves the true surface area proportions of all landmasses.
The African Union had already formally endorsed this projection in February. Following the UN resolution, there is now a global push to integrate this more accurate representation into school curricula, media outlets, and international organizations where precise scale is essential for objective communication.
It is important to note that the document is non-binding and does not prohibit the use of the Mercator projection for navigation. Instead, it serves as a recommendation for using equal-area maps in contexts where visual distortion might negatively influence public perception.
Prior to the vote, Togolese Foreign Minister Robert Dussey delivered a compelling address, stating that a fair world begins with a fair map.
This issue carries significant weight because the world map is often one of the first educational tools a child encounters. When students spend years observing a map where Europe and North America appear massive while Africa is depicted as relatively small, it subtly shapes their internal understanding of scale, influence, and the relative importance of different global regions.
Proponents of the initiative argue that these cartographic distortions are not merely a matter of geography, but a profound issue of perception. As Robert Dussey emphasized, a fair world begins with a fair map.
The Equal Earth projection does not artificially enlarge Africa; it simply displays all continents according to their true relative sizes. Because the Mercator projection drastically inflates landmasses near the poles while compressing equatorial zones, the transition to an equal-area projection naturally causes regions like Africa, South America, and South Asia to appear larger, while northern regions appear more compact.
While the focus of public discourse has centered on Africa due to its historical underrepresentation, the Equal Earth projection mathematically corrects the entire map. The African Union’s support for this transition has been consistent since February 2026, and the UN endorsement marks a major milestone.
Togo has already announced plans to introduce the new projection into its school materials before the end of the year. France has similarly expressed its commitment to adopting more accurate, equal-area depictions in its official educational resources.
The United States representative characterized the resolution as an ideological agenda, arguing that it serves as a distraction from more pressing global challenges. However, supporters maintain that maps function as a language; if that language consistently distorts the scale of specific regions, it inevitably influences collective thought patterns.
The vote revealed a clear consensus in Europe, with nations including France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Poland voting in favor. Six countries—Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Serbia, and Ukraine—opted to abstain. This decision was largely driven by concerns regarding how specific versions of the Equal Earth projection might depict disputed or temporarily occupied territories, rather than a disagreement with the concept of accurate mapping.
Ultimately, the resolution is about more than just cartography; it is an attempt to view our planet with greater accuracy. By moving away from a long-standing optical illusion, the international community hopes to foster a more balanced perspective on the world's geography, ensuring that our visual representations align with reality.
