U.N. to Vote on African Proposal for a New World Map
The U.N. will vote on a new world map that more accurately represents Africa's size.
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Where it stands
The U.N. will vote on a proposal to adopt a new world map. The proposal aims to replace the Mercator projection, which distorts the size of continents, particularly Africa. France has announced it will abandon the Mercator map, with its minister describing it as distorted. The new map would more accurately reflect Africa's true scale.
The Mercator projection has been widely used since the 16th century. It exaggerates the size of areas far from the equator and shrinks those near it. This distortion has led to misconceptions about the relative sizes of continents. The vote comes amid growing recognition of the Mercator projection's inaccuracies.
However, the adoption of a new map would require significant changes in education and cartography. The New York Times and The Guardian note that the proposal has sparked debate about how maps should represent the world.
Synthesized by Archynetys from the headlines below under a strict no-invention contract. ✓ fact-checked: unsupported claims removed (83% supported) Updated 1h ago.
Coverage (6)
- UN to vote on adopting new map that would make our world look very different CNN · 2h ago
- U.N. Votes on Major Change to World Map: How Different Versions Compare Newsweek · 4h ago
- France to abandon 'distorted' Mercator map projection: minister Yahoo · 4h ago
- Even Trump has been fooled by the distorted world map The Independent · 4h ago
- UN to vote on adopting new world map that shows Africa’s true scale theguardian.com · 4h ago
- U.N. to Vote on African Proposal for a New World Map The New York Times · 4h ago
Answered
What is the Mercator projection?
The Mercator projection is a cylindrical map projection presented by the Flemish geographer and cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569. It became the standard map projection for navigation because it preserves angles and shapes over small areas.
Why is the Mercator projection considered distorted?
The Mercator projection distorts the size of objects away from the equator. It makes countries near the poles appear much larger than they actually are, while shrinking those near the equator.
What is the proposed new world map?
The proposed new world map aims to more accurately represent the true scale of continents, particularly Africa. The specifics of the new projection have not been detailed in coverage.
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