UN backs effort to drop Mercator map and show size of Africa more accurately

Tthe UN General Assembly adopted a resolution to promote a global map that more accurately reflects the actual size of the continents, notably enlarging Africa and reducing the size of the United States. © Studio graphique FMM

The United Nations voted on Saturday for a shift away from the 16th-century Mercator global map towards one more accurately reflecting the true size of countries.

The resolution was sponsored by African states to counter perceptions that the continent is peripheral.