The United Nations General Assembly on Friday, September 4, 2026, backed a resolution promoting a world map that more accurately represents the relative size of continents, marking a move away from the centuries-old Mercator projection.
The resolution, spearheaded by Togo and supported by other African states, promotes the Equal Earth projection as part of a broader African campaign to challenge the widespread use of maps that distort the continent’s geographical size and shape.
The initiative is aimed not only at improving geographical accuracy but also at challenging perceptions of Africa as geographically and historically peripheral.
Togo’s Foreign Minister Robert Dussey described the initiative as part of wider African efforts to confront the legacies of colonialism.
“A fair world begins with a fair map,” Dussey told Reuters ahead of the vote.
The resolution passed overwhelmingly, with 164 countries voting in favour, one against and six abstaining.
The United States was the only country to vote against the resolution, arguing that it promoted an “ideological agenda” and distracted from what it described as the “genuine problems of international peace, prosperity or good relations.”
The resolution is not legally binding and does not seek to prohibit the Mercator projection.
The Togolese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the resolution “in no way challenges the use of the Mercator projection for maritime and aerial navigation, for which it remains fully suited.”
Developed in the 16th century by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator, the Mercator projection was designed primarily to assist maritime navigation.
However, because the projection enlarges land masses as they approach the poles, it significantly distorts the relative size of countries and continents.
One of the most frequently cited examples is the apparent comparison between Greenland and Africa. On a Mercator map, Greenland can appear comparable in size to Africa, despite Africa being approximately 14 times larger.
The Equal Earth projection, by contrast, was designed to preserve the relative areas of continents and countries more accurately.
Togo intends to become the first country to replace the Mercator projection in its school geography materials, with the government hoping to introduce the Equal Earth projection by the end of 2026.
“We will be the first country to change our own geography books,” Dussey told Reuters.
“In the classroom, we need to change it to give an example to all the countries in the world.”
Dussey said Togo would encourage other governments, schools, international organisations and technology companies to reconsider their continued reliance on the Mercator projection.
He described Equal Earth as offering “the best perception” of the world.
Togo plans to engage African Union member states and supporters from other regions over the next six months to develop a strategy for promoting wider adoption of the Equal Earth projection.
The discussions are also expected to involve companies operating mapping, GPS and other location-based technologies.
Dussey said the campaign would therefore extend beyond classrooms and printed geography books to the digital mapping systems increasingly used in everyday life.
Togo has linked the map initiative to broader African efforts to confront the legacies of colonialism and challenge representations of the continent that have shaped how Africa is perceived around the world.
Dussey stressed, however, that the campaign should not be interpreted as an attack on Europe or any other civilisation.
He argued that the continued dominance of the Mercator projection is partly a consequence of its historical association with European colonial expansion.
“The world is changing. Africa also is changing,” Dussey said.
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