Togo’s Equal Earth Map Wins UN Vote, 164 to One
TOGO · SOCIETY
Key Facts
—The vote: The General Assembly adopted the resolution on 4 September 2026 by 164 votes to one, with six abstentions.
—Who brought it: Togo negotiated the text for the African Group at the UN. Al Jazeera reported that the Bahamas co-sponsored it.
—The lone objection: The United States cast the only vote against. Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine abstained.
—What it asks: Governments, schools, international bodies and technology companies are encouraged to use equal-area projections when comparing the size of continents.
—What it does not do: The text is not legally binding. Togo’s foreign ministry says it leaves Mercator fully suited to maritime and aerial navigation.
—The distortion at issue: On a Mercator map Greenland looks close in size to Africa. Africa is roughly fourteen times larger.
—Where the map came from: Equal Earth was published in 2018 by the cartographers Tom Patterson, Bernhard Jenny and Bojan Šavrič.
The United Nations General Assembly has encouraged the world to adopt the Equal Earth map. Members voted 164 to one on 4 September 2026, on a text negotiated by Togo for the African Group.
What the Equal Earth map resolution actually says
The resolution is titled “Correct the map: rebalancing global cartographic representation and promoting equitable representation of the world’s regions, particularly Africa”. UN News confirmed its adoption on Friday 4 September.
It encourages governments, schools, international organisations and technology companies to consider equal-area projections whenever an accurate comparison of continental size matters. Equal Earth is named as one such option, not as the only one.
Nothing in the text is compulsory. General Assembly resolutions carry political weight rather than legal force.
Togo’s foreign ministry has said the text does not challenge the use of Mercator for maritime and aerial navigation. For those uses, Mercator remains fully suited.
A country of nine and a half million carried the text
Togo led the negotiations for the African Group at the UN. Al Jazeera reported that the Bahamas co-sponsored the text.
The pairing of a small West African state with a Caribbean co-sponsor is unusual. Acting for the African Group is not.
Togo has done this kind of diplomacy before. For a decade Togo has used its port and its quiet mediation to build influence.
That influence runs well ahead of the size of its economy. The vote also handed the African Group a rare procedural win.
Its members have pressed for years, with far less success, for permanent representation on the Security Council.
Why Mercator makes Africa look small
Gerardus Mercator published his projection in 1569 for sailors. On his chart a steady compass bearing is a straight line.
The price of that convenience is that land stretches as it moves away from the equator. The result is familiar to anyone who has stood in front of a classroom wall map.
Greenland appears about the size of Africa. Africa is roughly fourteen times larger, as Al Jazeera noted in its report on the vote.
Equal Earth takes the opposite trade. Published in 2018 by Tom Patterson, Bernhard Jenny and Bojan Šavrič, it keeps areas honest.
It accepts some bending of shape in return.
The United States voted alone
Washington cast the single vote against. Six European and Caucasus states abstained, according to UN News.
The abstentions came from Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine. That leaves the United States alone in opposition.
The text was adopted in a recorded vote. The United States gave no public explanation of its vote at the plenary.
What changes in practice
France co-sponsored the text. It announced before the vote that it would drop the Mercator projection from its own maps, according to Al Jazeera.
That makes France the first co-sponsoring state to commit to a change. The immediate effects are administrative.
United Nations agencies, education ministries and national mapping departments now have a reference point when they choose a default projection.
The bigger change would come from mapping apps. Most people now meet the world through a phone.
The maps chosen by the big phone apps shape our sense of size far more than any printed atlas. Whether those companies move is their own decision.
The resolution can ask, but it cannot order.
Why a map is also a commercial question
Perception tends to follow proportion. Investors, students and travellers who grew up looking at a shrunken Africa carry that impression into decisions about where opportunity might sit.
The continent covers about 30 million square kilometres. It is home to roughly 1.5 billion people, on United Nations estimates.
The African Continental Free Trade Area, the continent’s single market project, is being built on exactly that scale. None of this is settled by a projection.
It is simply easier to argue for a market when the map does not quietly shrink it first.
What to watch next
What matters now is whether anyone changes their maps. France has already said it will.
Watch whether United Nations agencies switch their own default maps. Watch whether education ministries follow in the school year ahead.
A change by one large mapping provider would do more for the campaign than the vote itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did the United Nations decide about the Equal Earth map?
The General Assembly adopted a resolution on 4 September 2026 encouraging the use of equal-area projections such as Equal Earth. The vote was 164 in favour, one against and six abstentions.
Which country proposed the resolution?
Togo led the negotiations for the African Group at the UN. Al Jazeera reported that the Bahamas co-sponsored the text.
Is the resolution legally binding?
No. General Assembly resolutions carry political weight rather than legal force. This one only encourages governments, schools and companies to consider equal-area projections.
Does this mean the Mercator projection is being abandoned?
No. Togo’s foreign ministry has said the resolution does not prohibit Mercator for maritime or aerial navigation. For those uses, Mercator remains mathematically suited.
How much bigger is Africa than a Mercator map suggests?
On a Mercator map Greenland looks close in size to Africa. Africa is in fact about fourteen times larger.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error
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