NAIROBI – The UN General Assembly gave the green light on September 4 to a resolution to “correct” the world maps and more accurately represent the size of Africa, which is currently disadvantaged in the old Mercator projection.
Read more Mattarella: one is not a stranger in one’s own home, autonomies accompany democracies
Ask the Sun
The questions are automatically suggested by 24Ore AI
based on the displayed content.
The text, called precisely “Correct the Map,” was presented by the government of Togo on behalf of the African Group at the UN and received 164 yes votes, six abstentions (Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Serbia, Ukraine) and a single opposing vote: that of the United States, furious against a text accused of “ridiculing” the institution.
“Instead of focusing on real issues of international peace, prosperity or good relations – declared the US Mission – this body is debating 16th-century cartographic projects and their role in promoting compensation for historical damages.” Washington’s reference is another resolution from the Glass Palace for recognition and compensation for the damages of the Slave Trade, always opposed by the United States.
Read more At the Cibjo World Congress, focus on sustainability and buyer confidence
The “distortion” of Africa
The dispute is long-standing, but the debate has accelerated in recent years. The battle for a cartographic update has resulted in a petition on the Change.org portal against the “distortions” of the mappings and in favor of a more “fair” reproduction of the sizes, launched at the beginning of 2025 and now exceeding 12,000 signatures. The African Union, the organization that brings together 55 countries on the Continent, embraced the cause in August of the same year and asked the government of Togo to lead the adoption of the text just approved in New York.
The projection made in 1569 by Gerardus Mercator, the Flemish mathematician who gives his name to the map, is accused of making Africa appear – decidedly – smaller and enlarging the size of other regions. The distortion arises from the difficulty of an accurate representation of the globe on a two-dimensional map and the resulting compromises. Mercator’s map fits the curvature of the Earth and remains a standard for maritime navigation, but its outcome is to make countries near the equator appear smaller and those near the poles larger.
Read more Zelensky: “Raid on airports intended for US mediators”. Witkoff and Kushner in Moscow
