Equal Earth Projection Gains UN Endorsement, Restoring Africa’s True Proportions

The United Nations has passed a non-binding resolution endorsing the Equal Earth Projection, a mapping method that more accurately represents the true size of the Earth’s landmasses. The widely used Mercator Projection exaggerates landmasses near the poles, making Africa appear significantly smaller. Under Mercator, countries near the poles can appear two to fourteen times their actual size, while the Equal Earth projection minimises these distortions, presenting Africa in truer proportion.

We asked Jack Swab and Derek Alderman, cartographers and geographers who study the social and communicative power of maps, to explain the significance of this development.

What is a map projection?

A map projection is a technique used by cartographers to transform the three-dimensional Earth into a two-dimensional representation. Flattening the globe inevitably introduces distortions in shape and area. While no projection is entirely free of distortion, different projections serve different purposes more effectively.

Cartographers select from hundreds of available projections based on the map’s focus and intended use. No single projection is optimal for every application. The Equal Earth projection is better suited than Mercator for creating global-scale world maps intended for education, public communication, and policy purposes.

Equal Earth supports a more accurate geographic understanding of the relative sizes of countries and continents, offering a fairer perspective for comparing regions in terms of population, environment, development, politics, and other global patterns.

Is the Mercator projection still useful?

Although Mercator is inadequate for representing landmass sizes accurately, it remains in widespread use. It is particularly valuable for navigation because it maintains compass bearing accuracy between two points without requiring recalculation.

This navigational reliability explains why most online mapping platforms, including Google Maps and Apple Maps, rely on a variation of the Mercator projection. The Equal Earth projection would be less effective for directional guidance.

How will the Equal Earth projection be used?

Map-making is decentralised, with no single authority regulating projection choice. The UN endorsement affirms the broader message that Equal Earth provides a fairer representation of true landmass sizes. While this action occurs at a global level, cartographic communities are working to establish Equal Earth as the default world map projection.

The UN resolution alone will not ensure global adoption of Equal Earth. Achieving widespread use requires intentional revision of maps in textbooks, databases, media productions, and diplomatic discussions, demanding both labour and financial investment.

Developed by cartographers and popular since its 2018 unveiling, Equal Earth is now available as wall maps and has already appeared in diverse media. Adoption ultimately depends on individuals and institutions choosing to use it over alternative projections.

Why has the Equal Earth projection sparked resistance?

Resistance has been limited. Several nations abstained during the UN General Assembly vote, though mostly for unrelated reasons. Ukraine raised concerns over the depiction of the contested Crimean Peninsula, which the Equal Earth Projection website marks as disputed territory.

This prompted a Russian response, alongside objections from other nations regarding contested territory. Since the UN vote addressed how the world is portrayed rather than specific political boundaries—a point both Russia and Ukraine acknowledged—these discussions amounted to geopolitical posturing on non-cartographic issues.

The sole “no” vote came from the United States, which characterised the proposal as part of a “radical and ideological project” inappropriate for UN debate. American delegates objected to language linking Mercator’s distortions to colonial legacies and the marginalisation of Africa—an unsurprising stance given the current administration’s denial of structural inequality.

The hypocrisy is striking. The US urges other nations to avoid political discussions of cartography even as President Trump pursues nationalist map branding, unilaterally renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and Lake Ontario to Lake America for ideological reasons without international consultation.

How does the new map matter when it comes to changing global views of the world?

African nations argued that Equal Earth embodies “cognitive justice,” recognising that people often equate power and value with apparent map size. Traditional portrayals of Africa as smaller than Europe or North America typically reflect perceived global importance rather than geographic reality.

Equal Earth may facilitate teaching, broadcasting, and discussing a revised view of Africa’s global prominence. With African countries among the world’s fastest-growing economies and populations, correcting the mental map of global leaders is a crucial step toward amplifying the continent’s relevance and rights, even though projections alone cannot transform attitudes.

Jack Swab, Assistant Professor Department of Geography & Sustainability, University of Tennessee

Derek H. Alderman, Chancellor’s Professor of Geography, University of Tennessee

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