The UN General Assembly voted on 2026-09-04 to adopt a resolution introduced by Togo and supported by African Union members to replace the traditional world map with a new version that more accurately depicts Africa's size; 164 states voted in favor, 6 abstained, and the United States was the only nation against. ^[1] The UN General Assembly voted on 2026-09-04 to approve a resolution promoting the Equal Earth projection, which more accurately shows the size of continents, over the Mercator map. ^[2] The United Nations General Assembly voted on Friday to endorse a resolution encouraging the replacement of the traditional Mercator map with the Equal Earth projection. ^[3] The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution titled 'Correct The Map' on Friday with 164 member states voting in favor. ^[4] The UN resolution, which is non-binding, urges governments, schools, international organizations, and technology companies to use the 'Equal Earth' projection and other area-accurate maps when relative sizes matter. ^[5] The United States was the only nation to vote against the resolution, describing it as part of a radical ideological project. ^[6] Togo's foreign minister Robert Dussey wrote on X after the vote that it was a 'historic moment' and that the decision goes beyond cartography, involving justice, dignity, and equality, and that correcting the map means correcting how we see the world. ^[7] The United States, the only country to vote against the resolution on 2026-09-04, said the resolution promoted an 'ideological agenda' and was a distraction from 'genuine problems of international peace, prosperity or good relations'. ^[8] Togo's Foreign Minister Robert Dussey said Togo will be the first country to change its school geography books, and hopes to change its school geography materials by the end of 2026. ^[9] A team of cartographers created the Equal Earth projection in 2018 as an equal-area world map intended to correct the size distortions of the Mercator projection. ^[10] The African Union's 54 member states adopted the Equal Earth projection in February. ^[11] The Mercator map, designed in 1569 by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator to aid European navigation, distorts land sizes by making countries near the equator appear smaller and those nearer the poles appear larger. ^[12]