Nigeria has joined 163 other countries to endorse an African-led UN resolution seeking fairer world maps that accurately reflect Africa’s true geographical size.The UN General Assembly adopted the historic “Correct the Map” resolution by 164 votes to one, with six abstentions.
The United States cast the sole opposing vote, while Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine abstained.The resolution is formally titled “Correct the Map: Rebalancing global cartographic representation and promoting equitable representation of the world’s regions, particularly Africa.”
The African Union-backed campaign challenged centuries of cartographic representation that makes the African continent appear disproportionately small.Africa covers approximately 30 million square kilometres and is the world’s second-largest continent by both land area and population.
However, advocates say conventional Mercator maps have historically presented the continent visually as considerably less imposing than it is in reality.The vote enjoyed an overwhelming majority of UN members endorsing the continent’s demand for more accurate global geographical representation.
Togo led negotiations on behalf of the African Group, building on an AU-supported initiative to ensure Africa is no longer represented as smaller than it actually is.Togolese Foreign Minister Robert Dussey told the UN General Assembly that maps were not merely technical illustrations but powerful instruments influencing how people understand the world.“Maps shape our understanding of the world. They guide education, nourish the imagination and influence collective perceptions,” Dussey said.
