164 countries voted against it and only one country supported it. The UN resolution is repeated
News: 164 countries voted in favor of it and only one country voted against it.
A new UN General Assembly resolution affects what billions of people see every day without even considering it: the world map itself – and it was passed by an almost overwhelming majority, Turkish channel TRT reported.
The resolution, called “Correct the Map” (Haritayı Düzelt), was adopted by 164 countries in favor and 6 abstentions – and only one country voted against it: the United States of America.
What is the resolution about? His text states that the projections used on world maps cause Africa, Latin America and South Asia to be perceived as smaller than they really are.
Specifically, this refers to the Mercator projection, which was developed by the geographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569 and is still used today, especially in marine navigation and guidance. However, this projection shows countries and continents that are larger than their actual size the farther they are from the equator.
The most famous example: On Mercator’s map, Greenland is about the size of South America – while Africa is actually about fourteen times larger than Greenland.
The UN resolution went beyond the geographical dimension as it considered that this difference in perception “may contribute to the underestimation of the economic, geopolitical and development potential of Africa and other regions of the South”.
Suggested alternative: The “Flat Earth” projection, developed in 2018, aims to show countries and continents in proportions that are closer to areas on Earth.
The practical results have already begun: French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barro has announced that his country will abandon the Mercator projection and move to maps that more accurately depict territories.
The road to a resolution began last March when the African Union officially adopted the Equal Earth map – paving the way for the file to be submitted to the UN. The project presented also included a call for digital mapping platforms to work towards making more accurate predictions, meaning the impact of decisions could extend to the screens users look at every day.
