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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Eromo Egbejule in Abidjan

UN votes to adopt new world map that shows Africa’s true scale

United Nations Africa Gerardus Mercator Togo African Union Robert Dussey Greenland
Two maps side by side, one showing Africa as it appears on the traditional world map, and the other showing it much larger in relation to Europe.
Africa on the traditional world map based on the Mercator projection, left, and on the 2018 Equal Earth map, right. Composite: equal-earth.com, Getty Images

The United Nations has voted to adopt a resolution for the world to formally phase out the traditional Mercator map of the globe in favour of one that more accurately displays Africa’s size.

In a session at its headquarters in New York, the UN general assembly officially retired the 16th-century Mercator projection in favour of one based on the more accurate 2018 Equal Earth design.

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