UN Don Vote to ‘Correct di Map’ and Show Africa Di Real Size!

Reported by Musa Antiketu,| Journalist at Obaland magazine.

New York — Di United Nations General Assembly don overwhelmingly support one resolution wey dey call for better and more accurate way to represent Africa and oda parts of di world for global maps.

Di resolution, wey dem call “Correct the Map”, get 164 countries voting in favour, while United States na di only country wey vote against am. Six other countries abstain for di vote.

Togo bring di resolution forward on behalf of di African Group, with strong backing from members of di African Union (AU). Di initiative dey push for wider use of map projections wey fit represent di actual relative size of continents more accurately, including di Equal Earth projection.

Di vote happen for United Nations General Assembly on Friday, September 4, 2026.

Why dem dey question di Mercator map

For hundreds of years, di Mercator projection don become one of di most familiar ways wey people dey use to draw di world.

Gerardus Mercator, European cartographer, develop di projection for 1569, mainly to make navigation easier for sailors.

But di map get one major problem: e dey distort di relative size of places as dem move away from di Equator.

Because of dis distortion, areas around Europe and North America fit appear much bigger than their actual land size, while Africa and oda regions close to di Equator fit look smaller than dem really be.

One popular example na Greenland and Africa.

For some versions of di Mercator map, Greenland dey look almost comparable to Africa. But in reality, Africa dey roughly 14 times bigger than Greenland.

Africa cover about 30 million square kilometres, making am one of di largest continents for Earth.

Supporters of di “Correct the Map” campaign argue say constantly showing Africa smaller than e really be fit influence how students, citizens and people around di world understand di continent.

Togo and AU lead di campaign

Togo don take leading role for di campaign after di African Union backed di initiative earlier for 2026.

Di AU adopted a decision supporting a more accurate representation of Africa, and Togo later carried di issue to di United Nations.

Togo’s Foreign Minister, Robert Dussey, has argued that correcting the map na not only about geography but also about how people understand Africa’s place for di world.

Supporters of di initiative say accurate maps fit help challenge long-standing perceptions about Africa’s geographical size, economic potential and global importance.

The campaign also dey connect di question of cartographic representation with wider African discussions about historical narratives, dignity and the legacy of colonialism.

What di UN resolution actually mean

Even though some reports describe di development as di UN “replacing” di Mercator map, di resolution no amount to an international ban on Mercator.

Instead, di resolution encourages governments, educational institutions and other organisations to consider projections wey represent relative land sizes more fairly.

One of di projections receiving attention na Equal Earth, a map design created in 2018 specifically to represent continental areas in a more proportionally accurate way.

Di Mercator projection also still get important technical use, especially for navigation and digital mapping, because of di way e represents direction and bearings.

So, di UN vote no mean say every map for di world go immediately change from Mercator to Equal Earth.

Instead, e gives international political and diplomatic support to efforts to promote more geographically accurate representations.

US na only country wey vote against

United States na di only country wey vote against di resolution.

According to reports, Washington raised objections to di ideological and political framing surrounding di initiative, particularly elements linking di campaign to broader questions of reparations and what supporters describe as “cognitive justice”.

But 164 countries supported di resolution, including major Western countries such as France and United Kingdom.

Six countries abstained.

Di overwhelming vote shows say there is significant international support for reconsidering how world maps represent geographical size, even though countries may disagree about di political meaning attached to di campaign.

Why di debate matter for Africa

For supporters of “Correct the Map”, di issue goes beyond classroom geography.

Dem argue say maps dey influence how people understand power, importance and relationships between different regions of di world.

Africa’s geographical size, population, natural resources and strategic importance mean say supporters believe di continent should not continue to be visually diminished by a projection designed for a different purpose.

But cartographers also caution say there is no single perfect flat map of Earth.

Because Earth na roughly spherical, every attempt to put di planet on a flat surface must create some form of distortion — whether na size, shape, distance or direction.

Different map projections therefore serve different purposes.

Di Mercator projection remains useful for navigation, while Equal Earth focuses more on preserving relative area.

Togo plans further action

Togo has indicated that di campaign no go stop with di UN vote.

The country plans to promote wider adoption of more accurate map projections, including through educational materials and international discussions involving African institutions, UNESCO and technology companies involved in mapping.

The wider objective, according to supporters, na to make sure say young Africans and people around di world see Africa according to its actual geographical reality.

For Obaland Magazine, di development represents another example of African countries taking international diplomatic action to influence how Africa is represented in global institutions and public knowledge.

Di UN resolution itself no legally force every country or technology company to abandon Mercator. But di scale of di vote gives di campaign significant international visibility and may encourage schools, governments, publishers and digital platforms to reconsider which maps dem use.

As di debate continues, one thing remains clear: di map wey people dey see no always tell di full story of di world’s geography.

Sources

• Reuters
• The Guardian
• SABC News
• Ghana News Agency
• BBC report reproduced by The Star
• African Union / ACALAN

UN General Assembly don back Togo-led “Correct the Map” resolution with 164 votes, encouraging more accurate world maps wey go better show Africa’s real geographical size.