UN adopts new world map enlarging Africa, Latin America, South Asia and Oceania

A newly released world map, developed by a team of cartographers at the International Cartographic Association, redraws the continents of Africa, Latin America, South Asia and Oceania with dimensions that more accurately reflect their true land area. Unlike the traditional Mercator projection, which inflates regions near the poles and compresses those near the equator, the updated design employs an equal‑area projection that preserves relative sizes while maintaining recognizable shapes. The map was unveiled at a conference in Geneva and will be distributed to educational institutions and governmental agencies worldwide.

The change addresses longstanding concerns that the Mercator projection can distort geographic perception, particularly by exaggerating the size of Europe and North America while diminishing the scale of regions in the Southern Hemisphere. By presenting Africa, Latin America, South Asia and Oceania at larger, proportionate scales, the new map aims to improve geographic literacy and provide a more balanced visual reference for policy makers, scholars and the public. Adoption of the projection is expected to influence textbooks, atlases and digital mapping platforms in the coming years.