The United Nations General Assembly has backed a major change in how the world could be represented on maps, adopting a resolution promoting the Equal Earth projection.
The African-led resolution was supported by 164 countries, with the United States voting against it and six countries abstaining. India voted in favour of the resolution, supporting the goal of creating more accurate representations of the size of continents.
The debate centres on the Mercator projection, the 16th-century map projection widely used for navigation and traditionally seen in classrooms and maps around the world. While the Mercator projection is useful for maritime navigation, it significantly distorts the apparent size of regions closer to the poles.
Africa is one of the most prominent examples. On traditional Mercator maps, Africa can appear much closer in size to Greenland, even though Africa is around 14 times larger.
Supporters of the Equal Earth projection say it provides a more accurate representation of the relative surface areas of continents, particularly Africa, Latin America and other regions closer to the equator. They argue that maps influence education, geography and how societies understand the relative scale of the world.
The United States opposed the resolution, describing it as an ideological distraction from more pressing international challenges. Ukraine also abstained, citing concerns over how the text could affect interpretations of territorial integrity and existing UN resolutions concerning borders.
The Equal Earth projection was developed in 2018 and is designed to preserve continental surface areas more accurately. However, the UN resolution is non-binding and does not ban the Mercator projection.
Watch the full report for the latest developments on the UN world map resolution, Equal Earth projection, Mercator map, Africa’s true size, US opposition and India’s support.
#un #worldmap #africa #equalearth #mercator #unitednations #geography #usnews #india #worldnews
About Channel:
WION The World is One News examines global issues with in-depth analysis. We provide much more than the news of the day. Our aim is to empower people to explore their world. With our Global headquarters in New Delhi, we bring you news on the hour, by the hour. We deliver information that is not biased. We are journalists who are neutral to the core and non-partisan when it comes to world politics. People are tired of biased reportage and we stand for a globalized united world. So for us, the World is truly One.
Please keep discussions on this channel clean and respectful and refrain from using racist or sexist slurs and personal insults.
Subscribe to our channel at
https://goo.gl/JfY3NI
Check out our website:
http://www.wionews.com
Join our WhatsApp Channel:
https://bit.ly/455YOQ0
Connect with us on our social media handles:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/WIONews
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/WIONews
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/wionews/
Follow us on Google News for the latest updates
Zee News:-
https://bit.ly/2Ac5G60
Zee Business:-
https://bit.ly/36vI2xa
DNA India:-
https://bit.ly/2ZDuLRY
WION:
https://bit.ly/3gnDb5J
Zee News Apps:
https://bit.ly/ZeeNewsApps 
Comments (0)