On September 6, 2026, India voted in favor of a resolution passed by the UN General Assembly that aims to rectify inaccuracies in the world map, including the underrepresentation of Africa’s actual size. Only the United States voted against the resolution, “Correct the Map,” and six nations abstained. The resolution was endorsed by 164 nations. The initiative seeks to advance global cartography’s more accurate representation of continental landmasses.
As per the news agency India applauded the resolution’s goal of promoting more precise and representative cartography procedures, according to Raghoo Puri, India’s Hindu representative at the UN. India underlined, however, that it did not favor any particular projection, like the Equal Earth projection, but rather the wider application of equal-area map projections.
The resolution was supported by member nations of the African Union and sponsored by Togo, according to the BBC. In order to rectify the errors of the conventional Mercator projection, which has been in use since the 16th century, a new map called the Equal Earth projection was created in 2018. Despite Africa being around 14 times larger than Greenland, the Mercator map has drawn criticism for giving the continent a comparable size.
According to analysis, the Mercator projection was initially created for navigation, maintaining forms and angles but warping the relative sizes of landmasses, particularly those close to the equator. Opponents contend that this misconception has influenced opinions of the economic and political importance of Africa, Latin America, and South Asia by minimizing these regions.
According to coverage, the new Equal Earth projection decreases the apparent size of North America and Europe while increasing the size of Africa, Latin America, South Asia, and Oceania. The United States, which voted against the resolution, claimed that rather than updating cartographic standards, the General Assembly should concentrate on more urgent international challenges.
France declared it will no longer use the Mercator projection, as reported, and Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot called the decision a “act of truth.” Although the resolution is not legally enforceable, it is anticipated to promote the adoption of more precise map projections by governmental, media, and educational organizations across the globe.
Further information revealed that the 54 member nations of the African Union endorsed the Equal Earth vision in February 2026. Africa’s actual size can encompass the United States, China, India, Japan, Mexico, and much of Europe within its borders, highlighting the scale of prior distortions, according to the campaign group #CorrectTheMap.
India’s stance on advancing fair global representation is consistent with its support for the resolution. The nation emphasized that the resolution should be read as a demand for more accurate and balanced cartography methods as information became available rather than as support for any particular map projection.
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