US only country to oppose UN resolution correcting Africa’s size on world maps

The U.S. was the only country to not support a United Nations resolution adjusting the appearance of Africa and other regions on world maps.

The body passed the “Correct the Map” initiative by a margin of 164 to one, with six nations abstaining from the vote.

The resolution , which was introduced by the West African country Togo, does not require the abandonment of the long-used Mercator projection. It instead encourages the use of equal-area projections that more accurately depict relative country sizes.

Yaryna Ferencevych, the deputy U.S. representative to the U.N. Economic and Social Council, said in a statement explaining the U.S.’s vote that this measure, “mocks the work and purpose of this institution.”

“Instead of focusing on genuine problems of international peace, prosperity, or good relations, this body is debating map projects from the 16th century, and their role in promoting reparations and ‘cognitive justice,’” she said.

“Resolutions like this and the ideological agenda they promote, are barnacles on our work here, and the reason this institution is losing its credibility,” Ferencevych continued. “When the United Nations questions why it is losing legitimacy in the world, and is not taken seriously, time and again, we point to resolutions such as this.”

The “Correct the Map” campaign has encouraged nations around the world to adopt the Equal Earth projection, which was designed by cartographers in 2018 to present a more proportionally accurate depiction of the world.

The African Union Commission said the initiative “marks a historic step toward accurate and equitable global cartographic representation.”

“For centuries, the Mercator projection distorted global geography, shrinking Africa to the size of Greenland when our continent is actually 14 times larger,” the group wrote on social media .

“Today’s resolution promotes equal-area maps like Equal Earth across classrooms, media, and international institutions ensuring the world map finally reflects Africa’s true scale, weight, and place in the world.”