How big is Africa really? And why does it appear so small on our world map? The answer lies not in geography, but in the art and manner in which we depict the Earth on a flat surface. The well-known Mercator projection significantly distorts the relative sizes of continents, thus shaping our perception of the world for centuries.
The fact that this centuries-old distortion has now even become a matter of world politics was demonstrated on September 4, 2026. With 164 votes to 1, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution put forward by Togo on behalf of African states. This resolution encouraged governments, schools, international organizations, and technology companies to use area-preserving projections—such as the "Equal Earth" map developed in 2018—in the future when actual proportions are important. This is not binding: the Mercator projection is neither prohibited nor replaced by a specific alternative. Rather, the aim is to emphasize that every flat map can only imperfectly represent the spherical shape of the Earth.
The only dissenting vote came from the United States. The US delegation to the United Nations described the initiative as part of a "radical ideological project" and accused it of ridiculing the actual work of the United Nations. Specifically, the US criticized terms such as "reparations" and "cognitive justice" in the resolution as an expression of tendencies that harm the organization's reputation. Thus, the US declares foreign concerns to be "ideological projects" that harm the institution—while at the same time causing precisely the harm they accuse others of through outstanding mandatory contributions, withdrawal from climate protection, and withdrawal from central UN bodies. It is not the map that threatens the UN. It is the state that withholds funds from it and at the same time points fingers at others.
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