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UN General Assembly Adopts Map Resolution Displaying True Proportions of Africa
Just the facts
The United Nations General Assembly voted 164 to 1 to adopt a resolution sponsored by Togo that officially endorses a revised world map. Traditional map projections, such as the Mercator projection, distort land area by enlarging high-latitude regions like Europe and North America while reducing the apparent scale of equatorial continents. The new map format accurately depicts Africa's 30.3 million square kilometer surface area in proportion to other global regions. The United States was the only member nation to vote against the resolution, with no other member state joining its opposition.
Why this is news
The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution adopting a new world map designed to accurately reflect the true geographical size of the African continent relative to other landmasses. The United States cast the sole opposing vote against the measure.
Sources
This summary is compiled strictly from the original reporting below.