United Nations votes 164-1 for Equal Earth map after US brands it 'radical ideological project' - Fox News

The Equal Earth projection makes Africa appear significantly larger than it does on conventional maps, which have long distorted the continent's actual scale. Six nations, including Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Serbia, and Ukraine, abstained from the vote. The U.S. Deputy representative to the U.N. Economic and Social Council, Yaryna Ferencevych, characterized the resolution as a radical ideological project.

For people here in Lubbock who grew up with the same Mercator-style maps hanging in every classroom from Mackenzie Middle School to Texas Tech, the Equal Earth version would look noticeably different. Africa, which appears roughly the same size as the continental United States on familiar maps, is actually about three times larger.

The vote puts the U.S. In a position shared by no other country among the 165 member nations present, an isolation that stands out regardless of where you land on the underlying debate about cartography and representation.

The Mercator projection, a classroom staple for over four centuries, was originally designed for 16th-century maritime navigation, not for showing the true size of continents.