New map could reshape the way you see the world

For centuries, human understanding of the size, shape and bearing of nations has been laid out by one map based on a single projection of the way the world looks.

The Mercator projection was designed for maritime navigation by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569.

It has been the most commonly accepted visualisation of the world since at least the 18th century.

But the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) voted this month to change that, approving a new "equal area" map aimed at "a more accurate representation" of continental landmasses.

It's called the "Equal Earth projection", and some experts say it could reshape how people see the world.

But first, what did the UN vote on?

A proposal introduced on behalf of 54 African countries by the continent's western nation of Togo pledged to correct an "imbalance inherited from the past", a UN statement said.

Togolese Foreign Affairs Minister Robert Dussey argued distorted maps could affect education about and global perception of continents, including Africa.

"How do we represent the world? How do we teach it? How do generations learn to see our planet?" he said before the vote on Friday.

"Correcting the map means recognising that every region of the world deserves to be represented accurately and with dignity.

"Our approach is not directed against any nation, any civilisation or any cartographic tradition.

"A fair map does not change the geography of the world; it changes how we see the world."

Of the 171 nations represented during the UNGA vote, 164 — including Australia — voted in favour and six abstained.

A single nation, the United States, opposed it. Its representative, Yaryna Ferencevych, described the plan as a "barnacle" and a "reason this institution is losing its credibility".

Among the abstentions, Ukraine said it supported the idea but would not vote in favour because the Equal Earth map shows Crimea in grey as contested territory amid the ongoing war with Russia.

What is the new world map?

The Equal Earth projection "is a relevant option for improving the accuracy of the cartographic representation of the world," according to the proposed UNGA resolution.

Launched by cartographers in 2018, it makes Africa, Latin America, South Asia and Oceania, including Australia, appear much larger.

It also reduces the size and scale of North America and parts of Europe, while placing Africa slightly more centrally.

The projection does not redraw national borders or coastlines, but shows continents in their true proportions, whereas the Mercator projection skews the scale of landmasses the closer they are to the North and South Pole.

Geographer Greg Lauer, from the OsGeo Oceania geospatial organisation, believes the Equal Earth change is mostly symbolic and the Mercator projection "is not wrong".

"It's right, particularly for navigation, but it's wrong for comparison … I'd say it was misused, not mistaken," he said.

Why is there no 'perfect' world map?

Recognisable world maps rely on the accurate projection of four fundamental principles — shape or angles, area, distance and direction — according to geospatial technologist Alex Leith.

He said the challenge for cartographers has always been converting the three-dimensional globe into a two-dimensional map without skewing the appearances of the world's landmasses.

"You have a choice about what you preserve, and you can't preserve all of it," he told the ABC.

"Mercator maps preserved direction, so that's about sailing from somewhere to somewhere else.

"This [new map] preserves area exactly, and approximately the shape."

Mr Lauer also said projection models sacrificed one or more of the key principles, based on what a map was trying to show.

"The Mercator is more distorted to the north and to the south, whereas Equal Earth is more distorted to the east and the west," he said.

"Projection is the maths that decides what gets sacrificed."

Will Equal Earth change how we see the world?

Mr Lauer said he did not expect the UN vote to spark an immediate social shift or for mandates to be rapidly implemented across the world to adopt the map projection.

He said most people's global perception stemmed from an ingrained mental image of the Mercator-aligned world map, which they had seen for most of their lives.

"Most people form their mental images of the world from a single map, and when you see it thousands of times from childhood, you never question it," he said.

Loading...He also acknowledged that someone's understanding of the significance of certain parts of the world was shaped by the maps they used, and that a new map could alter future generations' outlooks.

"Size reads as importance," he said.

"If Africa looks the size of Greenland, it's easy to say, 'Africa doesn't matter'.

"I would imagine the African Union suggesting it's a representation issue with rural, economic and diplomatic consequences. They want Africa to be seen equally with the rest of the world."

Mr Lauer said that significance also extended to the continent shown at the centre of world maps, meaning less emphasis could be placed on the United States.

For much of his second term, US President Donald Trump has sought to alter world maps to reflect growing American power.

He has repeatedly spoken of plans to make Canada the "51st state" of the US and seize Greenland as an American territory.

Mr Trump also signed executive orders renaming the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America and changing Lake Ontario to Lake America.

But the new map projection suggests a shift in the perception of global power away from central Europe and the Americas, according to Alex Leith.

"It's just a reasonable, rational decision that provides a better representation of the world," he said.

"This is about equity and representing data in a more equitable way."

Will Australian school maps change?

While Togo says it will become the first country worldwide to update geography textbooks with the new map, the change is not legally binding, and the Mercator projection should still be used for navigation.

Australia's national education curriculum does not specify which maps schools should use to teach students.

The ABC understands some Australian schools may choose to incorporate the Equal Earth projection into their teaching, but no national mandate requires them to use any specific world map.

"While the Australian government plays a national leadership role in school education, it is state and territory governments and non-government education authorities who are responsible for the day-to-day delivery of education programs," a spokesperson from the federal department of education told the ABC.

"This includes decisions about how best to implement the Australian Curriculum, and in this case which maps to use and for what purpose.

"The Australian Curriculum supports students to read, interpret and create maps, developing their spatial reasoning and geographical skills to better understand Australia and the wider world."

The ABC has contacted the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority for further comment.