The United Nations General Assembly has voted to adopt a new world map that more accurately depicts Africa’s size.
The decision followed a call by African countries for the UN to right the centuries-old wrong.
Togo introduced the resolution to the assembly about a year after the African Union endorsed it. The resolution is part of the #CorrectTheMap campaign backed by all 55 African Union member states.
The resolution seeks to replace the traditional Mercator map, which distorts the region, with the Equal Earth projection, which is believed to show countries’ true sizes.
It calls for an “equitable” representation of the globe’s regions, particularly Africa. It also argues that the way the world map is drawn makes the continent seem smaller and less important in people’s minds.
