UN Adopts New World Map Showing Africa's True Size

The United Nations General Assembly endorsed a new world map that more accurately depicts Africa's size, making it appear larger and North America and Europe smaller, with 164 countries supporting the resolution and the US opposing.

4 Sept, 23:35 — 5 Sept, 06:32

Post Share

Why this matters

The Mercator projection has dominated global education and navigation since 1569 but systematically inflates landmasses near the poles while shrinking equatorial regions like Africa. This shift reflects broader international efforts to decolonize educational materials and align visual data with scientific reality, though implementation raises questions about institutional costs and resistance from nations accustomed to traditional cartographic standards.

Key entitiesUnited Nations United States Africa Mercator Projection

The Story

What 14 sources agree on, dispute, and miss

What sources agree on

The UN resolution received support from 164 countries
The United States was the only nation voting against the measure
Six additional states abstained from the vote
The new mapping standard aims to correct the distorted size representation of Africa relative to higher-latitude continents

Key claims4 agreed

✓

The UN resolution received support from exactly 164 member states

agreed·hindustan-timesndtv

✓

The United States voted against the resolution while six other states abstained

agreed·hindustan-timesndtv

✓

The phased transition will replace traditional Mercator projections on official UN maps

agreed·danasruv

✓

The updated projection specifically corrects the visual distortion making North America appear larger than Africa

agreed·hindustan-timesndtvtagesschau

Where they diverge

Framing of US opposition

hindustan-times

Highlights American pushback and frames it as a prioritization dispute ('focus on genuine problems')

ndtvtagesschaudanasruvdaily-mirror-lk

Treats US opposition as a procedural footnote without exploring political rationale

Coverage gaps

Specific name or technical specifications of the alternative projection being adopted

Reported

Missingruvhindustan-timesdaily-mirror-lk+3

US administration's stated rationale for opposing the resolution

Reportedhindustan-times

Missingndtvtagesschaudanas+2

Coverage matrix(14 sources)

1–10 of 14

	AP	Al Jazeera	ruv	tagesschau	national-post	Times of India	hindustan-times	mainichi-english	n1-bih	ndtv
Framing of US opposition
US administration's stated rationale for opposing the resolution

Covered Divergent Not mentioned

The Story

Analyzing sources…

Source Diversity

Excellent (92/100)

14 sources33/33

Spectrum spread— 4/5 buckets covered25/33

Far L1

Far Left (1)

avgi

Left5

Left (5)

mainichi-englishn1-bihAl Jazeerandtvdanas

Center5

Center (5)

Daily Nationruvdaily-mirror-lktagesschauAP

Right3

Right (3)

hindustan-timesnational-postTimes of India

Far R

Geographic diversity— 12 regions34/34

India3Japan1Bosnia1Greece1Kenya1Iceland1Qatar1Sri Lanka1Canada1Germany1US1Serbia1

Political spectrum

LeftCenterRight

ndtv

danas

ruv

daily-mirror-lk

tagesschau

hindustan-times

Outlet rating This story

SourceOutletiGeneral editorial lean of the outletStoryiHow they covered this specific storyToneFactuality

ndtvcenter-leftcenter-leftcautiousMostly Factualemphasizes geographic equity and accuracy

danascenter-leftcenter-leftneutral—neutral procedural reporting on UN resolution

ruv

Coverage leans: center

Coverage is predominantly neutral and procedural, reflecting public broadcaster standards and straightforward reporting on a technical UN decision, with minor left-leaning geographic equity framing from Indian outlets.

Sources

Showing 9 of 14 sources

APVery High7h ago

UN General Assembly endorses a new world map that shows more accurately Africa’s size - AP News

UN General Assembly endorses a new world map that shows more accurately Africa’s size AP News

Read full article →

Al JazeeraMostly Factual3h ago

UN approves new map showing Africa’s true size

The UN General Assembly has backed a resolution to change to maps that more accurately show the true size of Africa.

Read full article →

national-postMostly Factual5h ago

UN adopts ‘more accurate’ world map with larger Africa and smaller North America, Europe

The U.S. was the only country to vote against the resolution, accusing the UN of seeking to use the new map to promote ‘reparations and cognitive justice’

By AFP

Read full article →

Times of IndiaMostly Factual5h ago

‘Correct The Map’ campaign: UN endorses a ‘larger’ Africa

By TIMESOFINDIA.COM

Read full article →

hindustan-timesMostly Factual3h ago

Africa gets bigger, North America smaller as UN adopts new world map; US says ‘focus on genuine problems’

The resolution received support from 164 countries. The United States voted against it, while six other states abstained.

Read full article →

mainichi-englishMostly Factual55m ago

UN General Assembly endorses a new world map that shows more accurately Africa's size

(AP) -- The United Nations General Assembly on Friday endorsed a new world map that represents Africa more accurately in its larger size, a culminatio

Read full article →

ndtvMostly Factual4h ago

Africa Now Bigger In World Map. 164 Countries Backed Resolution, US Opposed

Aimed at "a more accurate representation" of continental landmasses, the resolution was supported by 164 countries while the United States voted against it and six other states abstained.

Read full article →

Daily NationMostly Factual2h ago

UN approves resolution in support of map that shows Africa's true size

The United States is the only country to vote against the resolution.

Read full article →

daily-mirror-lkMixed3h ago

UN votes to adopt new map that makes our world look very different - Daily Mirror - Sri Lanka

UN votes to adopt new map that makes our world look very different Daily Mirror - Sri Lanka

Read full article →

Coverage Timeline

First report: danas · 4 Sept, 22:22|Full coverage: 14 · 8h|Window: 8h

Left-leaningCenterRight-leaning

danas4 Sept, 22:22First to report

UN usvojile rezoluciju o faznom odustajanju od korišćenja Merkatorove projekcije na mapama sveta

1h later

AP4 Sept, 23:35

UN General Assembly endorses a new world map that shows more accurately Africa’s size - AP News

tagesschau5 Sept, 00:12

UN stimmen für neue Weltkarte - Afrika wächst

2h later

Times of India5 Sept, 02:13

‘Correct The Map’ campaign: UN endorses a ‘larger’ Africa

national-post5 Sept, 02:16

UN adopts ‘more accurate’ world map with larger Africa and smaller North America, Europe

ndtv5 Sept, 02:52

Africa Now Bigger In World Map. 164 Countries Backed Resolution, US Opposed

1h later

daily-mirror-lk5 Sept, 04:12

UN votes to adopt new map that makes our world look very different - Daily Mirror - Sri Lanka

Al Jazeera5 Sept, 04:13

UN approves new map showing Africa’s true size

hindustan-times5 Sept, 04:27

Africa gets bigger, North America smaller as UN adopts new world map; US says ‘focus on genuine problems’

ruv5 Sept, 05:00

UN General Assembly endorses a new world map that shows more accurately Africa's size

Story evolution

Coverage evolved from a technical cartographic announcement to highlighting geopolitical voting patterns, with later articles introducing US political pushback as a distinguishing narrative element.

Resolution AdoptionSep 4 evening UTC

Danas reports initial UN approval of the phased transition away from Mercator projections

Vote Tally & Geographic ImpactSep 5 early morning UTC

Tagesschau, NDTV, and Daily Mirror-LK report the 164-1-6 vote breakdown and highlight Africa's corrected scale

Political Context IntegrationSep 5 mid-to-late morning UTC

Hindustan Times adds US opposition rationale while RUV provides localized Icelandic coverage

UN Adopts New World Map Showing Africa's True Size

Why this matters

The Story

What sources agree on

Key claims4 agreed

Where they diverge

Coverage gaps

Coverage matrix(14 sources)

The Story

Source Diversity

Source Diversity

Political spectrum

Sources

UN General Assembly endorses a new world map that shows more accurately Africa’s size - AP News

UN approves new map showing Africa’s true size

UN adopts ‘more accurate’ world map with larger Africa and smaller North America, Europe

‘Correct The Map’ campaign: UN endorses a ‘larger’ Africa

Africa gets bigger, North America smaller as UN adopts new world map; US says ‘focus on genuine problems’

UN General Assembly endorses a new world map that shows more accurately Africa's size

Africa Now Bigger In World Map. 164 Countries Backed Resolution, US Opposed

UN approves resolution in support of map that shows Africa's true size

UN votes to adopt new map that makes our world look very different - Daily Mirror - Sri Lanka

Coverage Timeline

UN usvojile rezoluciju o faznom odustajanju od korišćenja Merkatorove projekcije na mapama sveta

UN General Assembly endorses a new world map that shows more accurately Africa’s size - AP News

UN stimmen für neue Weltkarte - Afrika wächst

‘Correct The Map’ campaign: UN endorses a ‘larger’ Africa

UN adopts ‘more accurate’ world map with larger Africa and smaller North America, Europe

Africa Now Bigger In World Map. 164 Countries Backed Resolution, US Opposed

UN votes to adopt new map that makes our world look very different - Daily Mirror - Sri Lanka

UN approves new map showing Africa’s true size

Africa gets bigger, North America smaller as UN adopts new world map; US says ‘focus on genuine problems’

Sameinuðu þjóðirnar taka upp nýtt heimskort

UN approves resolution in support of map that shows Africa's true size

Yιοθετεί νέο χάρτη - Η Αφρική μεγαλύτερη, οι ΗΠΑ και η Ευρώπη μικρότερες

UN mijenja službenu kartu svijeta

UN General Assembly endorses a new world map that shows more accurately Africa's size

Story evolution

Related Stories

Trump Envoys Arrive in Russia and Ukraine With New Peace Proposal for Conflict

U.S. Approves $5 Billion Arms Sale of Precision Munitions to Saudi Arabia

Nepal Flood Death Toll Rises to 1,344 as Rescues Continue

Mexican Lawmaker Found Shot Dead Inside His Vehicle on Highway

Why this matters

The Story

What sources agree on

Key claims4 agreed

Where they diverge

Coverage gaps

Coverage matrix(14 sources)

Story evolution

Political spectrum