UN Adopts Equal Earth Map to Correct Centuries of Western Bias
Published · Updated
Cited: AP News, The Guardian, DW.com
TL;DR
The UN adopted the Equal Earth map projection, which shows Africa and other continents in their true size, replacing the biased Mercator projection. The vote was 164-1, with the US opposing.
Why now
Decades of criticism against the Mercator projection's Eurocentric bias culminated in a symbolic UN resolution, part of a wider movement to decolonize knowledge and education in Africa.
Agree / conflict
Agreement: cartographers and most UN nations agree that maps should more accurately reflect reality. Conflict: the US rejected the resolution, and some countries abstained due to territorial disputes over coloring on the sample maps.
Takeaway
Maps are not neutral tools; they carry political and cultural biases. Being aware of projection choices helps us interpret global power dynamics more critically.
In a historic vote, the United Nations General Assembly endorsed the Equal Earth map projection, a modern equal-area alternative to the centuries-old Mercator projection. The resolution, sponsored by Togo and backed by the African Union, passed with 164 votes in favor, only the United States opposing. The Equal Earth map, created in 2018, corrects the visual distortion that made Europe and North America appear larger than Africa, which is actually 14 times larger than Greenland. Cartographers Tom Patterson, Bojan Šavrič, and Bernhard Jenny designed it as an aesthetically pleasing equal-area map for classrooms and official use. The decision is part of a broader trend: African nations are pushing to decolonize curricula and counter negative stereotypes through campaigns like #NotWaiting.
FAQ
Why does the Mercator projection bias northern hemisphere countries?
The Mercator projection preserves angles for navigation but massively expands areas near the poles. As a result, Europe, North America, and Greenland appear far larger than they are relative to equatorial regions like Africa.
What is the Equal Earth projection?
Equal Earth is an equal-area map projection created in 2018 by Tom Patterson, Bojan Šavrič, and Bernhard Jenny. It accurately shows the relative sizes of continents without the shape distortion of previous equal-area maps like Gall-Peters.
Which countries voted against or abstained from the UN resolution?
The United States voted no, while Ukraine, Japan, and four other nations abstained. Japan objected to the coloring of the disputed Kuril Islands; Ukraine took issue with Crimea being colored differently from the rest of Ukraine.
How does this resolution connect to decolonization in Africa?
The resolution is part of a broader movement to decolonize knowledge and counter Western-centric narratives. African countries are also revising school curricula (e.g., Mali removing French history, Tanzania teaching in Swahili) and launching campaigns like #NotWaiting to highlight positive developments.
Will the Mercator projection disappear entirely?
No. The UN resolution encourages—but does not mandate—the use of equal-area maps. Mercator remains useful for navigation. The goal is to diversify the maps used in education and official contexts.
Sources
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