UN General Assembly to Vote on Phasing Out Mercator Map

The United Nations General Assembly will vote this Friday on a resolution to phase out the traditional Mercator world map. Sponsored by the Government of Togo and backed by the 54 member states of the African Union, the resolution proposes adopting the 2018 Equal Earth design to more accurately represent the scale of Africa and the Global South.

Supporters of the #CorrectTheMap campaign argue that the Mercator projection, originally created in 1569 for maritime navigation, reinforces cartographic colonialism by visually diminishing equatorial regions. They note that while the Mercator map makes high-latitude areas appear larger, Africa is actually 14 times larger than Greenland.

Although UN resolutions are non-enforceable, a successful vote could lead to widespread updates in digital technology and global classroom curriculums. If the resolution passes, the Togolese government intends to host an implementation event in Lomé during the first quarter of next year. This event would involve Unesco, the African Union, and technology companies including Google Maps.