UN adopts equal-area world map, United States votes against resolution

The United Nations General Assembly voted to adopt the Equal Earth map projection, a cartographic format that represents countries and continents in their true relative sizes, after a single dissenting vote from the United States. Six member states, including Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine, abstained.

Deputy U.S. representative to the U.N. Economic and Social Council Yaryna Ferencevych said the resolution was presented as a neutral effort to update map proportions but was, in her view, part of a broader ideological agenda. She added that the body should focus on “genuine problems of international peace, prosperity, or good relations” rather than “map projects from the 16th century.”

The resolution was introduced by Togo Foreign Minister Robert Dussey on behalf of the African Group, who said adopting the new map would “promote projections that better preserve the true proportions of continents” and help foster a more just perspective among nations. The measure does not require countries or companies to abandon the traditional Mercator projection but gives the UN official backing for equal-area maps as the preferred representation.

The Mercator projection, created in 1569 for maritime navigation, distorts the size of landmasses near the poles, making Africa appear smaller relative to regions such as Greenland and Europe. While it remains common in textbooks and many online mapping services, cartographers have increasingly favored equal-area projections for their accuracy.