UN “Correct the Map” Resolution 2026 | Shankar IAS Academy | UPSC | Mains 2026

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On September 4th, the United Nations adopted a historic resolution titled "Correct the Map," led by Togo with support from nearly 164 member states, while only the United States voted against it. The primary objective of this initiative is to replace the traditional Mercator projection, which has been the standard world map since 1569, with an equal-area projection that accurately reflects the true geographical sizes of landmasses. The original Mercator map was designed specifically for navigation purposes by Flemish geographer Gerardus Mercator, but its cylindrical projection method inevitably distorted sizes to preserve angles, causing regions near the poles like Greenland and Russia to appear vastly larger than they actually are compared to equatorial regions such as Africa and South America. The core issue addressed by this resolution is the significant distortion inherent in the Mercator system, where Africa, for instance, appears roughly the same size as Greenland despite being fourteen times larger in reality. By adopting an equal-area projection, the new maps will correct these visual inaccuracies, showing a reduced size for polar regions and a proportionally increased representation for continents near the equator, including Africa, Latin America, and parts of Asia. This shift does not ban the use of Mercator maps for navigation, where their angular properties remain useful, but rather promotes equal-area projections for educational purposes, official research, and general public use to ensure that global geography is depicted with factual accuracy rather than historical bias. A critical aspect of this resolution involves the protection of national sovereignty and territorial integrity, a point strongly emphasized by India which voted in favor of the measure. The resolution explicitly states that cartographic changes should not alter established borders or affect the depiction of disputed territories, ensuring that maps do not inadvertently legitimize claims against nations like India regarding regions such as Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin. This principle aims to separate scientific cartography from border politics, preventing any new map projections from being used to challenge existing national boundaries or introduce bias based on external suggestions, thereby upholding the official control and recognized territories of all member nations. The significance of the "Correct the Map" resolution extends beyond mere technical adjustment; it challenges the colonial legacy embedded in centuries-old mapping practices that marginalized the Global South. By giving greater visibility and accurate representation to countries in Africa, Latin America, and Asia, the resolution seeks to correct a historical imbalance where these regions were systematically shrunk on global maps. Furthermore, this change will have a profound educational impact by updating school curriculums and fostering better cartographic literacy among students, helping future generations understand the Earth's true proportions without the distortions of the past. Ultimately, this UN initiative represents a collective effort to create a more equitable and geographically honest world view that respects both scientific accuracy and national sovereignty.

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[music] >> Hello everyone. Welcome to the state of affairs brought to you by Shankar IAS Academy. Today we are going to talk about Correct the map resolution. So we know that recently, that is on 4th of September, the United Nations adopted correct the map resolution, which was led by Togo, the African country. So nearly 164 countries voted in favor of the resolution. One country, United States of America, voted against the resolution. Six countries abstained from voting. So what is the ultimate objective of this resolution? Bringing more geographically accurate map projection based on equal area projection. So this resolution is aiming at promoting equal area projection in the cartography. So what was the issue in the map that we have used so far? So we know that when we talk about the world map, the first picture that comes to our mind will be this map. Right? But we can see that this map was actually prepared in the year 15 69. It was prepared in the year 1569. And this map is also known as Mercator map. Because this map was prepared by a Flemish geographer called Gerard Mercator in 15 69. And what was the objective of Mercator? Assisting the navigators. So this map was used for navigation purpose. But later, you know, when days passed, we slowly adopted this map. And now we are using this map as this projection, this Mercator projection as the world map. But, this Mercator projection has certain problem. What is the problem? The problem is nothing but distortion of the geographical sizes of the land masses. So, we can see that, you know, when we when you are preparing the map, you are converting a three-dimensional object into a two-dimensional surface, right? So, the Earth is actually a three-dimensional object, and now we have to present or we have to depict the three-dimensional object in a two-dimensional surface. So, how we are going to do that? That is the question. And the Mercator Mercator, he used the cylindrical projection for the preparation, for converting this three-dimensional Earth into a two-dimensional surface. And when he prepared, he had to make certain compromises. That is, you know, uh enlarging the the regions which are located close to the polar region, while shrinking the regions which are located in the equator. So, you can see the uh the uh the the issue here. So, we can see that the in this picture, in this map, you know, in the Mercator projection, you know, the Greenland is much larger, and it is almost uh has equal size of Africa. But, in reality, the Africa is nearly 14 times, you know, larger than the the Greenland. And that is the case of Brazil and Latin America. Latin American continent is much bigger than than uh you know, uh than the projection in the map. And this region, the Canada this region which is located closer to the polar region is actually very small. And that is the case here also. The Eurasian region is actually very small. The region uh the in the region including Russia is actually very small, but they have depicted it uh it like a large continent. So, that is the issue here. So, to to replace this projection with the equal-area projection, uh you know, is the objective of the Togo resolution or the correct the map resolution, which was led by Togo. So, you know, once you change this or once you bring the equal area projection, you can see significant changes in the size of the land masses. So, now we can see the reduction in the Greenland size and you know, now you can see an increase in the size of the African continent in the map. So, this is how the equal area projection will change the distortion or it will address the problem of this distortion. So, that is the objective, that is bringing the equal area projection is the objective of the Togo resolution. And does it mean that we are going to replace this Mercator map? No. Still we can use the Mercator map for navigation and various other purpose. But the on other side, the equal area projection or the map based on the equal area projection will be used for education purpose and also for various other research and you know, official purpose. So, this is the major changes that we have brought through the correct the map resolution. And going through the major provisions of the correct the map resolution, first is equal area projection, that is promoting equal area map projection you know, in the while preparing the world map. And next is addressing the problem of Mercator distortion. That means you know, bringing geographically you know, accurate sizes of the land masses. And next is navigation. So, this does not ban you know, this this resolution is not going to ban the Mercator map which is already in the use. We are going to promote you know, the equal area projection, but that doesn't mean that we are going to replace or we are going to stop or we are going to ban the Mercator projection. And the next is education purpose. So, it it promotes you know, curriculum updates and cartographic literary literacy. And next is sovereignty. So, we can see that you know, while passing the resolution, India also you know, raised this issue. That is the map that we are going to prepare based on the equal area projection should not distort or it should not you know, affect to sovereignty or you know or the boundaries of the nations in the world. And we can see that recently there was an issue in the map that they have depicted the regions of Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin as a as a disputed as a as a as a land that is located between India and China. And now we have raised the concerns about it. And talking about India's position, what was the position of India? India voted favoring the favor of the resolution. So we can see that you know when we when we start using the equal area projection, the regions of Africa and the Latin America and also the regions of Asia which is located near to the equator will get more representation in the map. And the next is sovereignty. So India stresses that it's the the nation's territorial integrity should should not be affected. That means our boundaries or our borders should not be you know changed when we are going for the new map. And next is cartography versus border politics. That means that yes, like I mentioned you know the the boundaries or the borders should not be changed. Our you know our territories which is currently you know officially under the control of India should not be you know affected by the new map. So these and also uh the any countries uh suggestions should not be taken into consideration when going for the preparation of the map. That means the map should not be biased. It should be unbiased. So these are the major you know uh positions or this is the position of India in the case of this correct map resolution. And the next significance. So what is the significance of this uh Togo resolution or the correct map resolution? First is more accurate representation. So you know we will get a map with a more geographically accurate land masses you know. And next is challenges cartographic bias. So we can see that this uh Mercator projection was used you know or it was prepared in the 1569. That is during the time of you know the early phase of colonialism. So it reflects the colonial legacy. Right? So that the this cartographic bias can be addressed. And next is the representation or the visibility of the global south. So we can see that the regions or the countries which are located near the equator or below the equator are coming under the category of global south like Latin America, Africa. And we know that these regions are depicted much you know smaller in the Mercator projection. So when you are going for the equal area projection, this region the the Asian the South Asian region, the African region and also the Latin American region will get more representation. And next is educational impact. So you know this is going to change our understanding about cartography, our understanding about the map preparation. So you know therefore this is going to influence the school curriculum and also this will you know bring lot of changes in the cartographic literacy. So these are the major significance of the Togo resolution or correct the map resolution. So I hope you understood this topic and if you have any suggestions you can give us give the suggestions in the comment box. And please let us know what you think about this new resolution and what are the you know what is your opinion about the changes in the projection. So we will meet you in another interesting video with another interesting topic. So please don't forget to like, share and subscribe to our YouTube channel. Thanks for watching. >> [music]