The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has adopted an African-backed proposal seeking a new world map that more accurately reflects the relative sizes of countries and regions.
The resolution, adopted on Friday, calls for a more “equitable” representation of the world, with particular emphasis on correcting the perceived underrepresentation of Africa in conventional world maps.
It was adopted with 164 countries voting in favour, while six countries abstained and the United States voted against it.
Those that abstained were Ukraine, Estonia, Lithuania, Georgia, Moldova and Serbia.
According to the resolution, distortions in widely used world maps have contributed to the “symbolic minimization” of Africa and other regions in the collective imagination.
