In a landmark decision last week, the United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to endorse new world maps that accurately represent the true sizes of continents.
This initiative followed months of advocacy by the African Union, which adopted a revised map earlier in February. A total of 164 countries voted in favor, while six abstained.
The United States was the sole member to oppose the measure. US representative Yaryna Ferencevych argued before the vote that the resolution was “the reason this institution is losing its credibility”.
“Instead of focusing on genuine problems … this body is debating map projects from the 16th century,” she said.
Despite the resolution’s approval, at least three nations—India, Ukraine, and Japan—have since voiced apprehensions regarding the implementation of the changes.
While none of these countries explicitly oppose adopting a new projection, they are raising significant concerns over how specific disputed territories are depicted.
Here is an overview of the situation:
Why Is There a New World Map?
The UN endorsed a resolution promoting the Equal Earth projection of the world map, rather than the Mercator projection, which is currently widely used.
The resolution does not ban Mercator or impose a particular replacement—it merely encourages nations to adopt the Equal Earth version, which was created by three researchers in 2018.
The Mercator projection, which was produced by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569 when the West was busy “conquering” new territories, attempts to show a three-dimensional globe on a two-dimensional surface. That is why countries closer to the poles appear much larger than countries at the equator.
For decades, map experts have pointed out that Mercator’s projection disproportionately shrinks the true size of the African continent and that of other developing regions, while making Europe and the US seem much larger by comparison.
For example, Greenland is shown as roughly the same size as Africa, but, in reality, it could fit into the continent 14 times over. Europe, which is portrayed as bigger than South America, is actually half its size.
Advocates from African countries pointed out that the map is problematic because of the size issues. Importantly, they argued, it reinforces negative perceptions of Africa.
Several cartographers have attempted to develop equal area maps. However, African activists specifically pushed for the Equal Earth projection map, which significantly expands Africa and shrinks Europe and the US.
Experts say while maps are inherently inaccurate because of the constraints of depicting a spherical world on a flat plane, the Equal Earth projection is as close as it gets.
Why Is Ukraine Concerned About the New Map?
Ukraine was one of six countries that abstained from the vote at the UNGA, along with Estonia, Georgia, Moldova, Serbia, and Lithuania, all of which voted in solidarity with Ukraine.
Kyiv has complained that the Equal Earth projection depicts the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula in a distinctly lighter shade than mainland Ukraine.
Russia illegally occupied and annexed Crimea in February 2014, a move the UN has denounced.
Although the peninsula is also shaded differently from mainland Russia on the new map, its yellowish tint appears closer to the Russian shade than Ukraine’s.
“Ukraine does not in principle oppose the core issue addressed in this draft resolution,” Andrii Melnyk, the country’s permanent representative to the UN, said in an address to the assembly.
Melnyk said Kyiv had asked for corrections before the vote but had not received positive responses. The new map, he said, could be tantamount to opening a Pandora’s box, enabling the “abuse and distortion” of the world map.
“It would be a truly fatal mistake for all of us, and for this General Assembly, to seek to correct a historical injustice in the geographical depiction of countries and continents by simultaneously allowing a deeply troubling interpretation of the text of this draft resolution,” he added.
What Is Japan Demanding?
Meanwhile, on Thursday, Tokyo—which voted in favor of the new map—stated that it had also requested corrections to the Equal Earth projection because the map uses the same colors and shades for Russian territory as it does for the disputed Kuril Islands.
Russia and Japan have long fought over control of the four islands, known in Russia as the Southern Kurils and in Japan as the Northern Territories. In 1945, during World War II, the Soviet Union invaded and annexed the islands as part of a pact with Western Allies that stipulated the Soviets would take the disputed territory. The islands’ Japanese inhabitants were removed.
Subsequently, Japan and the US have claimed that the islands were not part of the original pact. The islands, however, remain under Russian administration.
In August this year, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin paid his first-ever visit to the islands, drawing condemnation from Japan. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called the visit “absolutely unacceptable”, saying it “offends the sentiments of the Japanese people”.
This week, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said the Japanese embassy in the US has asked Equal Earth’s creators to change the map.
“Displays that contradict the Japanese government’s position are seen [on the map],” Kihara said at a news conference. “We need to prevent incorrect perceptions regarding our country’s territories and geographical names from spreading.”
Why Is India Uneasy About the Map?
India also voted in favor of the Equal Earth projection, but on Sunday, the Ministry of External Affairs published a caveat regarding depictions of the disputed border territory of Kashmir.
Following the Indian partition of 1947, both Pakistan and India laid claim to the former state of Jammu and Kashmir, which had been controlled by the British through indirect rule. The region has subsequently become a flashpoint for tensions between the two rivals and has led to several wars.
Parts of Kashmir are administered by Pakistan, while other parts are administered by India. China, which also disputes some Kashmir territory with India, administers its northeastern portion.
In his statement, spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal noted that the UN vote was in favor of encouraging the use of equal area projections and that it had not made the use of any one map mandatory.
“India’s sovereign territory, including the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, must be depicted in accordance with India’s official map,” he said. “Any inaccurate or misleading depiction is unacceptable.”
