The U.S. Was the Only Country to Vote Against a U.N. Resolution on World Maps That Show Africa at Its True Size, Calling It a "Barnacle"

The U.N. General Assembly adopted the "Correct the Map" resolution on September 4, 2026 by a vote of 164 to 1, with six abstentions. The United States cast the only vote against. The resolution, introduced by Togo on behalf of the 54-member African Group and backed by the African Union, is non-binding; it does not require anyone to abandon the Mercator projection but encourages wider use of equal-area projections such as Equal Earth, which show relative land areas more accurately. Yaryna Ferencevych, deputy U.S. representative to the U.N. Economic and Social Council, said afterward that "resolutions like this and the ideological agenda they promote, are barnacles on our work here, and the reason this institution is losing its credibility."

The vote is a measure of U.S. diplomatic isolation on a symbolic, non-binding measure that cost nothing to support: no other member state, including close allies, joined the United States in opposition.

The resolution is adopted and carries no legal obligation. The African Union welcomed it and the Correct the Map campaign is urging governments and schools to adopt the Equal Earth projection.