The United Nations General Assembly is discussing a proposal aimed at changing the way the world map is presented so that the actual size of the continents, particularly Africa, is reflected more accurately.
The initiative was launched by Togo and has received the support of 54 other member states of the African Union, as well as other countries. Under the proposal, the traditional Mercator projection would gradually be replaced by the “Equal Earth” projection, which better preserves the relative proportions of the continents’ land areas.
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Robert Dussey, Togo’s foreign minister, said the debate should be viewed as a scientific issue rather than a political confrontation.
“This is not a political issue, but a scientific debate. The scientific data are indisputable, and everyone must accept reality,” he said, according to The Guardian.
The Mercator projection was developed in 1569 by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator to assist maritime navigation. However, its geometric method of representation creates major distortions in the size of territories.
Because of these distortions, regions near the equator appear smaller than they really are, while territories near the poles look enlarged. As a result, Africa can appear on the Mercator map to be almost comparable in size to Greenland, even though in reality the African continent is around 14 times larger than the island.
The international #CorrectTheMap campaign emphasizes that Africa’s landmass is so vast that the United States, China, India, Japan, Mexico and most of Europe could all fit within it at the same time.
The proposal has also prompted discussions about how maps influence the global perception of countries. Experts and activists describe this phenomenon as “cartographic colonialism”, arguing that the Mercator projection visually depicts the countries of the Global South as smaller and those of the North as larger.
As an alternative, Togo is suggesting the use of the “Equal Earth” map, which was created in 2018 with the aim of preserving the actual proportions of the continents’ land areas more accurately.
Even if approved, a UN resolution would not be legally binding. However, it could influence the use of maps in schools, digital applications, online platforms and public services.
Togo’s government has expressed confidence in the initiative’s success and is preparing an international conference in Lomé. The event is expected to be held in cooperation with UNESCO, the African Union and technology companies, with a focus on the possibility of implementing the new cartographic standard.
“To those who ask, ‘Why now?’, I answer, ‘Why not?’ It is time to change the narrative and take responsibility for what we can fix ourselves,” Togo’s foreign minister said.
