By Afolayan Sunday
Nigeria, alongside 163 other nations, has overwhelmingly voted to adopt a landmark United Nations General Assembly resolution addressing centuries of geographical distortion on world maps.
Titled “Correct the Map,” the African Union-backed initiative seeks to replace the traditional 16th-century Mercator projection with alternative, scientifically accurate representations like the Equal Earth projection.
The resolution passed with 164 member states voting in favour, including Nigeria, African Union member states, and European heavyweights like France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
The United States cast the sole vote against the resolution, while six countries (Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Serbia, and Ukraine) abstained.
The resolution is non-enforceable, meaning governments and institutions are not legally mandated to drop the Mercator map, though global use of proportional alternatives is strongly encouraged.
For over 450 years, the Mercator projection has inflated landmasses near the poles while shrinking regions near the equator. Most notably, it visually equates Africa with Greenland—even though Africa is roughly 14 times larger.
Spearheaded by Togo on behalf of the African Group, the campaign addresses the cognitive, educational, and geopolitical impacts of diminished map representations.
Togolese Foreign Minister Robert Dussey emphasized to the General Assembly that maps are powerful educational instruments.
“Maps shape our understanding of the world. They guide education, nourish the imagination, and influence collective perceptions,” Dussey noted.
Advocacy groups, including Africa No Filter, celebrated the vote, emphasizing that accurate representations belong in global classrooms, textbooks, newsrooms, and digital applications.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot also backed the shift on social media, stating that correcting a representation that distorts the globe is an act of scientific truth and geographical justice.
