A New Way to See the World: Global Vote Supports More Accurate Map of Africa
For hundreds of years, the world maps hanging in classrooms and printed in textbooks have shown a distorted view of our planet. Now, a major international organization has voted to support a different kind of map. This new map shows the true size of Africa, which is much larger than most people realize.
The decision is the result of a campaign led by African nations and groups that want to change how people see the world. The goal is to replace an old map design from the 1500s with a modern one that displays landmasses in their correct proportions.
The Global Vote for a New Map
The resolution to support the new map was sponsored by the nation of Togo and received strong backing from members of the African Union. When it came time to vote, the decision received overwhelming support from the international community:
- 164 nations voted in favor of the resolution.
- One nation, the United States, voted against it.
- Six nations chose to abstain, meaning they did not vote yes or no. These countries were Serbia, Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, and Ukraine.
This vote does not mean the old map is banned. Instead, it encourages schools, governments, and businesses around the world to start using a map style called the Equal Earth projection.
The Problem with the Traditional Map
The map most people are used to seeing is called the Mercator projection. It was created in the 16th century by a Flemish mapmaker named Gerardus Mercator. He designed the map for a very specific reason: to help European sailors navigate the oceans.
To understand why this map is distorted, imagine trying to flatten an orange peel. If you peel an orange and try to press the skin completely flat on a table, it will rip or stretch. Mapmakers face the same problem when trying to put a round globe onto a flat sheet of paper. They have to make choices about what to stretch and what to keep accurate.
To make navigation easier, the Mercator map keeps straight lines for directions. However, this design flattens the Earth in a way that stretches the land near the North and South Poles. This causes a major distortion:
- Regions like North America and Greenland look much larger than they actually are.
- Regions near the equator, like Africa and South America, look much smaller than they actually are.
Because of this distortion, Greenland and Africa look almost the same size on a traditional map. In reality, Africa is actually 14 times larger than Greenland.
Introducing the Equal Earth Map
The new map, called the Equal Earth projection, was created in 2018. Unlike the older map, this design accounts for the curved shape of the Earth. It shows every continent and country in its true size relative to the others.
Geographers point out that the old map is only truly useful for sailing and navigation. Outside of that specific use, there is little reason to keep using it. A geography professor, Mark Monmonier, explained that the traditional map has no real purpose for everyday use outside of its narrow navigation design.
Why Map Accuracy Matters
Supporters of the change argue that maps do much more than just show directions. They shape how we think about different parts of the world. Togo's Foreign Minister, Robert Dussey, explained that maps guide our education, feed our imagination, and shape how we see different cultures and countries.
An advocacy group that helped lead the campaign expressed excitement about the decision. The group stated that they want to see accurate maps used in classrooms, textbooks, businesses, and the digital tools that billions of people use every single day.
Other leaders also spoke out in favor of the new map. France's Foreign Minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, shared that while changing a map does not physically alter the world, correcting a map that distorts reality is an important step toward showing the truth.
By encouraging the use of the Equal Earth map, global leaders hope to give the next generation a more accurate and balanced view of the planet we all share.
