For 500 years we have had the wrong map: "In fact, Greenland is 14 times smaller than Africa"

CNN Portugal5 September 2026 at 22:20

The United Nations General Assembly voted in favor of adopting a new world map that reflects the true sizes of countries, correcting a cartographic distortion that has persisted for about 500 years. The traditional map, known as the Mercator projection, has systematically exaggerated the size of territories such as Greenland, which appears much larger than it really is. According to the new representation, Greenland is actually 14 times smaller than the African continent, a significant difference from what conventional maps show. The UN vote marks an important step toward standardizing a more accurate and equitable geographical representation among nations.

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SIC Notícias05/09/26, 23:01

For 500 years we have had the wrong map: "In fact, Greenland is 14 times smaller than Africa"

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