The new map depicts Africa, Latin America, South Asia and Oceania in a larger format than on traditional maps. Europe and North America are shrunk.
The so-called Equal Earth projection is described in the UN resolution as a "reasonable alternative for improving the accuracy of the cartographic representation of the world."
The map was produced in 2018 by a group of cartographers, and work to have it adopted by the UN has been driven by several African countries, with support from France, among others.
“Service to the Truth”
Maps shape our understanding of the world, according to Togo's Foreign Minister Robert Dussey.
"When they present a distorted picture of our planet, they risk perpetuating false representations that are passed down from generation to generation," Dussey said in connection with the vote.
He is supported by his French colleague Jean-Noël Barrot:
A changed map does not change the world. But correcting a distorted representation is acting in the service of truth.
Disproportionate
The resolution urges member states to start using the new map, instead of the classic world map based on the so-called Mercator projection, created in the 16th century for navigation at sea.
There, the proportions are distorted in such a way that areas closer to the poles become larger and land masses around the equator become smaller, which is why Greenland appears to be the same size as Africa. In reality, Africa is 14 times larger than Greenland.
164 countries voted to adopt the new map.
The United States was the only country to vote against.
Instead of focusing on real problems, the General Assembly is discussing map projects from the 16th century, said US representative Yaryna Ferencevych before the vote.
