The United Nations General Assembly is set to consider a resolution calling for the traditional Mercator world map to be phased out in favour of a projection that provides a more accurate representation of the size of continents, particularly Africa. The initiative, led by Togo and supported by the African Union, has renewed a long-running debate over how maps influence perceptions of geography, power and the relative importance of different regions of the world.
The proposed resolution, which is being put forward at the UN General Assembly, seeks to encourage the adoption of a world map that more accurately reflects the actual land area of countries and continents. Togo’s Foreign Affairs Minister Robert Dussey said the issue should be viewed primarily through a scientific lens, arguing that modern cartography provides clear evidence that the widely used Mercator projection significantly distorts the relative size of land masses.
Created by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569, the Mercator projection was originally designed to assist sailors with navigation. Its ability to represent lines of constant direction as straight lines made it particularly useful for maritime travel. However, the projection comes with a major geographical distortion: areas located closer to the poles appear considerably larger than their actual size, while regions near the equator are shown as much smaller.
One of the most striking examples is the comparison between Africa and Greenland. On many familiar versions of the Mercator map, Greenland appears roughly comparable in size to Africa. In reality, however, Africa has an area around 14 times greater than Greenland. The distortion is a consequence of the mathematical method used to transfer the three-dimensional surface of the Earth onto a flat map.
The debate has gained particular momentum in Africa, where campaigners argue that the widespread use of the Mercator projection has contributed to an inaccurate visual understanding of the continent. The #CorrectTheMap campaign, backed by the African Union in 2025, has gathered more than 11,000 signatures and calls for greater use of maps that preserve the relative areas of continents more accurately.
Supporters of the initiative say the issue extends beyond cartography. They argue that the repeated visual shrinking of Africa and other equatorial regions, combined with the enlargement of Europe, North America and other higher-latitude areas, may have influenced how generations of students and the wider public perceive the world.
Critics of the traditional projection have for decades pointed to its potential cultural and political implications. Some activists have described the continued dominance of the Mercator map as a form of “cartographic colonialism”, arguing that the representation of the world can subtly reinforce historical perceptions of Western dominance. Historians and geographers have also debated whether maps can shape assumptions about the relative significance of different parts of the globe.
The Mercator projection is not the only alternative available. The Gall-Peters projection, promoted by German historian Arno Peters from the 1970s, has long been used as an alternative because it preserves relative area, although it introduces other forms of distortion. Togo’s current campaign is instead promoting the Equal Earth projection, developed by an international team of cartographers and released in 2018.
Equal Earth is designed to maintain the correct relative areas of continents while presenting the globe in a visually familiar form. Advocates believe its adoption could help improve geographical education and challenge longstanding misconceptions about Africa’s physical scale.
The proposed UN resolution would not automatically force governments, schools, technology companies or mapmakers to abandon the Mercator projection. UN General Assembly resolutions are not legally enforceable. However, supporters believe a formal endorsement could encourage governments and educational institutions to reconsider the maps used in classrooms, textbooks and public information.
It could also eventually affect digital platforms and other technologies where world maps are routinely displayed. Togo is already planning discussions in Lomé in the first quarter of 2027 involving UNESCO, the African Union and technology companies, including Google Maps, to examine how the proposed change could be implemented.
The campaign comes amid wider efforts by African countries to secure greater recognition of the continent’s history and influence in international institutions. Supporters are drawing confidence from an earlier African Union-backed resolution at the UN this year concerning the transatlantic slave trade. A Ghana-sponsored resolution received 123 votes in favour, while three countries opposed it and 52 abstained.
For Togo and its supporters, changing the world map is therefore about more than replacing one cartographic design with another. They argue that a more geographically accurate representation could help correct long-standing misconceptions and provide a clearer understanding of Africa’s physical scale and global significance.
With the General Assembly vote approaching, the proposal has turned what may appear to be a technical debate among cartographers into a broader discussion about history, education and representation. If the initiative receives sufficient support, it could mark a symbolic shift away from a map that has dominated classrooms and public life for nearly five centuries and toward a representation that gives a more accurate picture of the world’s continents.
