(Adnkronos) – The United Nations General Assembly will today vote on a resolution to promote the progressive abandonment of the traditional Mercator projection, the world map that alters the relative sizes of continents, in favor of representations more faithful to their real surfaces. The proposal, presented by Togo and supported, among others, by the African Union and France, aims primarily to correct the representation of Africa, which on the Mercator map appears similar in size to Greenland, despite actually being about 14 times larger. “It is not a political discussion, but a scientific one, because there is scientific evidence and we all must accept reality,” declared Togolese Foreign Minister Robert Dussey.
Created in 1569 by the Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator to facilitate maritime navigation, this projection accurately represents angles and directions, but distorts the sizes of landmasses when transferring the Earth’s spherical shape onto a flat surface. In particular, areas further from the Equator progressively appear larger than their actual sizes. The result is that territories such as Greenland, Russia, Europe, and North America appear oversized compared to Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. According to the resolution’s proponents, this distortion has also contributed over time to an altered perception of Africa’s weight in the world. Hence the request to adopt more accurate representations in schools, institutions, and digital technologies.
France has also joined the campaign, announcing the abandonment of the Mercator projection in maps used by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “The United States, Russia, and China assume a disproportionate visual importance compared to Africa, Latin America, or Southeast Asia,” said Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot. “Greenland appears almost as large as Africa, while Africa is actually about 14 times larger – he emphasized – Changing maps obviously doesn’t change the world. But correcting a distorted representation is already an act of truth.” The UN resolution, which would not be binding, encourages states and international organizations to adopt alternative projections, including Equal Earth, which maintains the proportions between the surfaces of the continents.
