UN votes 164 to 1 for maps that show Africa is about 14 times bigger than Greenland

For nearly 500 years, most world maps have used the same design. On these maps, Greenland looks about as large as Africa. But in real life, Africa is about 14 times larger. Now the United Nations has voted to change that. In the vote, 164 countries said yes, only the United States said no, and six countries did not choose a side.

The old design is called the Mercator map. It was made in 1569 for sailors, because it helped ships follow straight lines across the ocean. But it makes land near the North and South Poles look much bigger, and land near the equator look smaller. That is why Greenland looks so big on the old map, and people may think Africa is smaller and less important than it really is.

The United Nations is asking for wider use of a newer map called the Equal Earth map. It was created in 2018. It shows the areas of continents much more accurately. It is meant for schools, not for guiding ships. No flat map can be perfect, so every map must choose what to keep: area, shape, distance, or direction.

The vote cannot force any country or company to stop using the old map. But Togo, which led the campaign, will change its school geography books by the end of this year. It will also meet technology companies within six months. France has said its foreign ministry will stop using the Mercator map. Togo's foreign minister said, 'A fair world begins with a fair map.'