Africa map size: Togo to change school maps, geography books after UN vote

Togo has announced plans to change its school geography materials by the end of the year after the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution promoting maps that more accurately represent the size of Africa and other regions of the world.

Togo’s Foreign Minister, Robert Dussey, said his country would become the first to change its geography books as part of efforts to encourage wider adoption of the Equal Earth projection, which gives a more proportionate representation of the world’s land masses.

The development followed the UN General Assembly’s adoption of the resolution on Friday, after PUNCH, quoting the AFP, had reported that Equal Earth “preserves the relative surface areas of continents and, as much as possible, shows their shapes as they appear on a globe.”

PUNCH Online reported that the UN nations voted to adopt new world map to reflect Africa’s true size.

The resolution, sponsored by Togo on behalf of the African Group, was adopted with 164 countries voting in favour, while the United States voted against and six countries abstained.

It promotes the Equal Earth projection as an alternative to the widely used Mercator projection, which makes regions closer to the poles appear disproportionately large and Africa appear smaller relative to its actual size.

Togo to change geography books

Speaking to Reuters, Dussey said Togo planned to introduce the Equal Earth projection into its school geography materials before the end of 2026.

“Togo will be the first country to change our own geography books,” he said.

“In the classroom, we need to change it to give an example to all the countries in the world.”

Dussey said Togo would also press other governments, schools, international organisations and technology companies to move away from the centuries-old Mercator projection.

He said Togo planned to meet African Union member states and supporters from other regions within the next six months to discuss wider adoption, including engagement with companies involved in mapping, GPS and other location-based technologies.

The resolution, however, is not legally binding and does not require countries to abandon Mercator.

Togo’s Foreign Ministry said it does not challenge the continued use of the projection for maritime and aerial navigation, for which it remains suited.

Dussey said the campaign was linked to broader African efforts to confront colonial-era legacies, while stressing that it was not intended as an attack on Europe or any other civilisation.

“The world is changing. Africa also is changing,” he said.

The Mercator projection was developed in the 16th century primarily for navigation. Because it preserves directions, it became widely used, but it distorts the relative size of land masses, particularly those farther from the Equator.

Africa, for example, is about 14 times larger than Greenland, although the two can appear roughly similar in size on a Mercator map.

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India backs map correction

India voted in favour of the resolution but stressed that no single map projection should necessarily be imposed for every purpose.

Indian diplomat Raghoo Puri said maps play an important role in how societies understand geography and the relative scale of the world.

“Maps play an important role in how societies understand geography and the relative scale of the world around us,” Puri said.

He added that equal-area projections were particularly relevant because they preserve the relative sizes of continental and territorial land masses.

India also called for a technologically and methodologically neutral approach, allowing educators and cartographers to select projections according to their intended purpose.

The Indian position means that while New Delhi supported the broader effort to correct distortions in the representation of land masses, it did not endorse Equal Earth as the only projection that should be used.

US opposes resolution

The United States was the only country to vote against the resolution, describing the initiative as an ideological exercise and questioning the decision to devote UN attention to the issue.

US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said the initiative could not be separated from what he described as a broader ideological project.

“This initiative is presented as an anodyne effort to update cartographic proportions,” Waltz said. “The United States clearly sees it cannot be separated from the much larger and more radical ideological project it belongs to.”

He also criticised the General Assembly for discussing map projects from the 16th century and their relationship with issues including reparations and “cognitive justice”, arguing that such resolutions contributed to the UN’s loss of credibility.

The resolution received 164 votes in favour, with Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine abstaining.

AU welcomes UN resolution

The African Union welcomed the adoption, describing it as an important step towards a more accurate representation of Africa.

The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, commended Togo’s leadership and the unity of AU member states and the African Group at the UN.

The AU said the resolution was championed by Togo on behalf of the African Group and encouraged international institutions, educational systems, publishers and digital platforms to progressively promote maps that more accurately reflect actual land areas.

“Africa must be represented as it truly is: in its true dimensions and in its rightful place in the world,” Youssouf said.

The African Union Commission said it would continue working with Togo, member states and other partners to support implementation of the initiative.