India Backs UN Resolution to Correct Distortions in World Maps, Supports Wider Use of Equal-Area Projections

India has backed a United Nations General Assembly resolution seeking to promote more geographically accurate representations of the world, supporting a broader shift toward equal-area map projections while making clear that its vote should not be interpreted as an endorsement of any single replacement map.

The UN General Assembly considered resolution A/80/L.104, titled “Correct the Map: Rebalancing global cartographic representation and promoting equitable representation of the world’s regions, particularly Africa,” at its 114th plenary meeting on September 4, 2026. Official UN records confirm that the African-led proposal was taken up under the Assembly’s agenda on the coordinated implementation of major international conferences and summits.

The resolution was adopted overwhelmingly, receiving 164 votes in favour, with only the United States voting against and six countries abstaining. India was among the countries supporting the measure.

At the centre of the initiative is the long-standing use of the Mercator projection, developed in the 16th century primarily to assist navigation. Although extremely useful for preserving compass directions, the projection increasingly enlarges areas as they move towards the poles. Consequently, northern territories can appear disproportionately large compared with regions nearer the equator.

Africa is one of the clearest examples. While the continent is roughly 14 times larger than Greenland in actual surface area, conventional Mercator maps can make the two appear far closer in size. The African Union has therefore championed the wider adoption of equal-area projections, which preserve the relative surface areas of countries and continents more accurately. The African Union described the UN decision as a major step towards more equitable global cartographic representation.

The resolution argues that continued dependence on distorted world maps affects perceptions not only of Africa but also of Latin America, South Asia and other regions closer to the equator. It encourages wider consideration of mapping systems that present the comparative size of landmasses more faithfully, particularly in education, international institutions, media and other settings where geographic scale influences public understanding.

India supported the basic objective but attached an important clarification to its vote. First Secretary at India’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations Raghoo Puri said India welcomed efforts to promote more accurate and representative cartographic practices, observing that maps influence how societies understand geography and the relative scale of different parts of the world.

However, New Delhi stressed that the resolution should be understood as supporting the broader use and consideration of equal-area projections, rather than endorsing the Equal Earth projection or any other specific map projection.

That distinction is significant. All flat maps require compromises because the three-dimensional surface of the Earth cannot be reproduced perfectly on a two-dimensional sheet. Some projections prioritise direction, others shape, distance or area. Equal-area projections specifically preserve the proportional area of geographical regions, even though their shapes may consequently appear different from those familiar from conventional maps.

The UN resolution therefore does not mean that the Mercator projection has been globally prohibited or that every country must immediately adopt a single new world map. Instead, it gives international backing to efforts to reduce dependence on representations that substantially distort the comparative size of continents.

The initiative originated within the African-led “Correct the Map” campaign, with Togo advancing the proposal on behalf of the African Group. The United Nations officially listed the draft resolution among the principal measures considered during the September 4 General Assembly meeting.

For India, supporting the resolution while retaining flexibility over which projection should be used reflects a broader position: cartographic representations should communicate geographical scale more accurately, but international institutions should not necessarily prescribe one universal mapping system.

The UN vote could consequently encourage governments, educational institutions, publishers, media organisations and digital platforms to reconsider how the world is visually represented. Rather than simply replacing one familiar map with another, the resolution opens the way for greater use of projections chosen according to their purpose — including equal-area maps when accurately comparing the size of countries and continents is important.