UN Supports Map That Shows Land Areas More Fairly

The United Nations voted on September 4 to support the use of the Equal Earth map, a world map designed to show the relative sizes of continents and countries more accurately. The vote was 164 countries in favor and one, the United States, against.

Maps must flatten the round Earth onto a flat surface. This process, called a map projection, always changes something, such as shape, distance, or size.

For centuries, many maps have used the Mercator projection. It is useful for navigation, but it makes places near the poles look much bigger than they really are. For example, Greenland can look about as large as Africa, even though Africa is 14 times larger.

The Equal Earth projection was created in 2018 by three map makers. It aims to keep land areas closer to their real sizes while still making continents easy to recognize. Its curved edges are also a reminder that Earth is round.

The effort, called Correct the Map, was supported by the African Union and led at the UN by Togo. Togo's foreign minister, Robert Dussey, said maps influence how people understand the world.

The UN agreement is not an international law. However, it encourages governments, schools, businesses, and other groups to consider using Equal Earth maps in public materials and classrooms.