New york: The UN General Assembly on Friday voted to replace the 16th-century Mercator map with a more accurate representation of the world, highlighting Africa's true size. The resolution, led by several African countries and supported by France, achieved backing from 164 countries. However, the United States voted against it, and six other nations abstained.
According to France24.com, the new map, known as the Equal Earth cartographic projection, aims to provide a more precise depiction of continental sizes, correcting the distortions present in the traditional Mercator projection. This initiative urges member states to adopt the updated map, which better reflects the actual sizes of global landmasses.
The Mercator projection, created by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569, was originally designed for maritime navigation. However, it significantly distorted the sizes of continents by inflating northern regions while compressing equatorial ones, making areas like Europe and North America appear disproportionately large compared to Africa and South America.
Robert Dussey, the foreign minister of Togo, one of the countries driving the resolution, emphasized the importance of accurate maps in shaping global perceptions. He stated that distorted maps can perpetuate inaccurate representations passed down through generations.
The Equal Earth projection, launched by cartographers in 2018, addresses these discrepancies by preserving the relative surface areas of continents while maintaining their shapes as seen on a globe. This projection results in a more accurate portrayal of regions such as Africa, Latin America, South Asia, and Oceania.
France, a co-sponsor of the resolution, announced its intention to abandon the Mercator projection. French Foreign Minister Jean-No«l Barrot highlighted the disproportionate visual prominence given to countries like the United States, Russia, and China in the Mercator map, compared to regions like Africa and Southeast Asia.
While acknowledging that changing maps does not alter the world, Barrot stated that correcting distorted representations is an act of truth. This initiative aligns with France's efforts to improve relations with Africa, particularly in its former colonies.