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The UN General Assembly has recently voted to replace the traditional Mercator world map, designed in 1569 by the Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator, with one that more accurately reflects the size of Africa.
The ‘Correct the Map’ resolution, sponsored by Togo and backed by African Union (AU) members, passed with the support of 164 nations, including the UK.
The Mercator map, which has been in common use since the 16th Century, received criticism as it shows Africa as being of similar in size to Greenland, even though it is actually 14 times larger. The Equal Earth map, created by a team of cartographers in 2018, more accurately represents the sizes of all continents and has been voted to replace the Mercator map.
Read the full story on BBC News: UN votes to adopt new world map to reflect Africa’s true size
