The United Nations General Assembly has backed a proposal to create a new world map that more accurately reflects the true size of the African continent.
The resolution passed with the support of 164 countries, while six abstained. The United States was the only country among them to abstain, arguing that the change was unnecessary.
The initiative targets the Mercator projection, the traditional world map that has been in use since the 16th century. African countries have increasingly criticized the projection for distorting the apparent size of continents, making Africa appear comparable in size to Greenland even though Africa is roughly 14 times larger.
The UN decision does not require countries to officially adopt the new map. However, it could eventually lead to changes in school textbooks and curricula, digital mapping technologies, and government websites around the world.
Togo, with the backing of the African Union, sponsored the resolution and argued that the world map should be updated to provide a more accurate representation of Africa’s size. Togo’s Foreign Minister Robert Dossi said ahead of the vote that “this is not a political debate but a scientific one, because there is scientific evidence and therefore we all need to accept reality."
The campaign has also received support from the public. Some 11,000 people have signed a petition titled “CorrectTheMap," calling for the map to be changed.
“It is possible to include the United States, China, India, Japan, Mexico and much of Europe in Africa, and there would still be free space," the petition states.