The United Nations voted on a resolution to adopt a more precise world map, which corrects a geographic distortion present for about 450 years. The Mercator projection, used since the 16th century, exaggerates the size of territories near the poles and diminishes the proportion of countries near the equator, especially the African continent.
Africa is currently 14 times larger than Greenland, but in the Mercator projection the two territories appear to have similar dimensions. This distortion has been criticized by specialists as a geographically incorrect representation that visually favors countries in the Northern Hemisphere.
The resolution had 164 votes in favor, demonstrating broad international support for the change. However, the United States voted against adopting the new map, being the only country to oppose the initiative in the vote.
