UN votes to adopt new world map to reflect Africa true size

The UN General Assembly has voted to replace the traditional world map with one that more accurately reflects the size of Africa.

Togo sponsored the Correct the Map resolution. African Union (AU) members backed it.  With the support of 164 nations, including France and the UK supported, the resolution passed.   The United States was the only nation to vote against it – and there were six abstentions.

The UN vote is non-binding but will see changes to the maps used by institutions around the world.

The Mercator map, which has been in common use since the 16th Century, has come in for criticism as it shows Africa as similar in size to Greenland, even though it is 14 times larger.

Critics say this leads to the development needs and potential for countries near the equator to be minimised.