Recently, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly voted 164 to 1 to use a world map that is more accurate.
The “Mercator projection” map has been the most widely used map around the world. However, it does not accurately show the size of Africa and some countries, especially those near the poles.
The Mercator projection map was drawn in 1569 to help sailors navigate. At the time, it was considered revolutionary.
The problem with trying to draw a map of the Earth on a flat piece of paper is that the Earth is three-dimensional—in other words, a sphere. When you try to represent a round surface on a flat surface like a piece of paper or a computer screen, countries and continents at the top and bottom of the sphere get stretched, so they look bigger and longer than they actually are.
Mercator vs. Equal Earth
On the Mercator map, Greenland, near the top of the map, was enlarged to look like it was about the same size as the continent of Africa, which is near the middle of the sphere (the equator).
In reality, Africa is about 14 times the size of Greenland.
The continent of Antarctica runs along the entire bottom of the Mercator map, making it look much larger than it actually is, compared to other land masses.
Australia looks about the same size as the US state of Alaska on the Mercator map, but it is actually about four-and-a-half times as big as the state. On the more accurate map, Australia is larger and shown a bit further south of where the Mercator map places it.
The more accurate map is known as the Equal Earth projection. It was created in 2018.
On September 4, 164 nations of the United Nations assembly voted in favour of adopting the Equal Earth map. Six countries (Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine) abstained from voting, meaning they did not vote for or against it. One country, the United States, voted against the use of the Equal Earth map.
The vote, while significant, is “non-binding,” meaning it does not mean countries legally have to use the Equal Earth map. However, the UN resolution encourages countries, companies and other organizations to use the Equal Earth map.
THINK & DISCUSS
1. “Maps shape our understanding of the world,” Robert Dussey, Togo’s foreign minister, said before the vote. “They guide education, nourish the imagination, and influence collective perceptions.” (Source: UN website) The Mercator map represents Africa as much smaller, compared to other land masses, than it actually is. Why do you think that matters?
2. An article on The Guardian’s website notes that, “…for generations of policymakers – and of children – the world has been presented through a lens that flatters the powerful and diminishes the rest.” What do you think that means? Do you agree or disagree, and why?
3. What is the UN (United Nations)? What do they do? Do you think the UN and the things they do are important? Why or why not?
4. Many people have tried to make “the perfect world map” in the past. Other maps include: The Winkel tripel projection, the Natural Earth projection and the Robinson projection. Take a look at this list of map projections and pick one: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_map_projections Explain some of its pros and cons (good things and bad things).
5. Picture the peel of an orange. If you were to take the peel from an orange and flatten it out, what would the peel look like? Why is it so hard to transfer an image from a spherical (round) object to a flat surface?
6. Ukraine chose to abstain from the vote (in other words, they didn’t vote) for a very specific reason. Find information online about why Ukraine abstained and explain.
7. Draw a map! Draw a big circle and fill it with continents, countries and bodies of water to create your own unique world.
8. If you have access to a globe, take a close look at what’s on it. What places or regions interest you? Which ones would you like to visit if you could, and why?
RELATED INFORMATION
UN website, article “UN tells the world: Stop making Africa look small” https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/09/1168284
Equal Earth maps are in the public domain (ie, they’re copyright-free). You can download and print maps from the Equal Earth website: https://equal-earth.com/
This opinion column in The Guardian is more than a year old, but it raises interesting points about maps and how they shape our perception of the world: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/aug/22/the-guardian-view-on-africa-and-maps-drawn-true-its-scale-and-promise-cant-be-ignored
