Togo Leads UN Push to Replace Mercator Map
· World · The Guardian, The Hindu
Togo’s foreign affairs minister Robert Dussey announced that the United Nations General Assembly will vote on Friday to phase out the Mercator projection and adopt a world map that shows Africa’s true size. The resolution is backed by all 54 member states of the African Union and supported by a petition with more than 11,000 signatures under the hashtag #CorrectTheMap. The Mercator map, created in 1569, distorts equatorial regions, making Africa appear the same size as Greenland while it is actually fourteen times larger. If the resolution passes, it could prompt revisions to classroom curricula, digital mapping services and other technologies that currently use the Mercator projection. Critics say the projection has contributed to “cartographic colonialism” and has shaped perceptions of global trade and development priorities. The debate highlights a long‑standing push to correct visual biases in how world geography is represented.
Why it matters
Adopting a more accurate map could reshape global education and technology platforms, correcting a visual bias that has long downplayed Africa’s geographical size and influence.
Read the original report — The Guardian
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