UN backs African-led campaign to ‘Correct the Map’ – SABC News – Breaking news, special reports, world, business, sport coverage of all South African current events. Africa’s news leader.

The United Nations General Assembly has overwhelmingly backed an African-led campaign to change the way the continent is represented on world maps.

The “Correct the Map” resolution was passed by 164 votes to one, with six abstentions.

The United States was the only country to vote against the text. The resolution argues that the centuries-old Mercator projection distorts the relative size of continents, making Africa appear smaller than it really is.

The resolution does not ban the Mercator projection, which was developed in the 16th century for navigation. Instead, it argues that its widespread use has contributed to a distorted perception of Africa and promotes alternatives that more accurately represent the relative size of continents.

The United States rejected what it called the “radical ideological project” behind the initiative, objecting particularly to its links to reparations and what the resolution calls “cognitive justice.”

Washington described such resolutions as “barnacles” on the work of the UN that undermined its credibility – an argument rejected by the majority of member states, leaving the United States entirely isolated.