The United Nations General Assembly will vote on Friday on a resolution to officially move away from the traditional Mercator map, which has long been used to represent the world on paper. Instead, the proposal aims to adopt a more accurate map that better reflects the true size of continents, especially Africa. This resolution is led by Togo and supported by the African Union’s 54 member states, according to Togo’s foreign affairs minister, Robert Dussey. While he did not specify how many other countries are backing the move, the initiative has gained momentum through the #CorrectTheMap campaign, which has gathered over 11,000 signatures on a Change.org petition. The Mercator map, developed in the 16th century, is known for distorting the size of landmasses, particularly near the equator. Countries in the Global South, such as those in Africa, appear much smaller than they are, while regions closer to the North Pole, like Greenland and Europe, appear larger. For example, Africa is shown on the Mercator map as roughly the same size as Greenland, but in reality, it is about 14 times larger. The campaign highlights that Africa could easily contain the United States, China, India, Japan, Mexico, and much of Europe with land to spare. The African Union endorsed the campaign in August 2025 and asked Togo to lead the effort to adopt the new map. Critics of the Mercator projection argue that it has subtly influenced global power dynamics by downplaying the significance of the Global South and exaggerating the size of northern countries. This phenomenon has been referred to as “cartographic colonialism.” In response, Arno Peters, a German historian, introduced the Peters world map in 1973 using the Gall–Peters projection, which preserves area accuracy. Today, the #CorrectTheMap campaign promotes the 2018 Equal Earth map, designed by an international team of cartographers, as a more accurate and fair alternative. Supporters believe that adopting this map will help reshape global perceptions of Africa and contribute to the decolonization of education and public knowledge. Togo’s push for the resolution has drawn comparisons to another recent African Union-backed success at the UN. In March, a Ghana-sponsored resolution to label the transatlantic slave trade as “the gravest crime against humanity” passed with strong support. Now, Togo and its allies hope for a similar outcome. The government plans to host an event in Lomé, Togo’s capital, in early 2026 with UNESCO, the African Union, and tech companies like Google Maps to discuss how to implement the resolution. Robert Dussey, Togo’s foreign affairs minister, emphasized that the time has come to change the narrative, stating, “It’s time for us in Africa to take responsibility to change what we can change ourselves.”