The BBC says the UN voted to adopt a new world map. Anadolu says it adopted a non-binding resolution promoting one.
The UN General Assembly passed the "Correct the Map" resolution on Friday, 164 to one. The five reports we hold describe what that did in four different ways — from a recommendation states may ignore to a map already amended.
What passed. The General Assembly adopted the "Correct the Map" resolution on Friday, favouring the Equal Earth projection over Mercator. The five reports we hold do not agree on what that did.
Adopted, promoted or amended. Anadolu calls the resolution non-binding in its first clause. The BBC's headline says the UN "votes to adopt" and its first line says the Assembly voted "to replace" the map; "non-binding" arrives in its last sentence, then an unsourced line that the vote will change the maps institutions use. LBCI uses the present tense: the UN amends the world map.
| Reported by | What passed | Who put it forward |
|---|---|---|
| BBC News | Voted to replace the map; non-binding, said last | Togo, backed by African Union members |
| Anadolu Agency | A non-binding resolution promoting accurate maps | African Union states and the Bahamas |
| An-Nahar | A resolution urging states to use Equal Earth | The African Union and Togo, under France |
| Al Jazeera English | Backed a resolution to change maps | not named |
| LBCI | The UN amends the world map | not named |
What is agreed. The three reports that count the vote give the same numbers: 164 in favour, one against, six abstentions, the United States the only no. Two carry no count.
What this coverage does not settle. We hold no UN record of the text, so what it obliges anyone to do rests on each report's wording. The Bahamas appears only in Anadolu, France as a sponsor only in An-Nahar. Our two independent readings part company too: one counts the reports saying the map itself changed, the other the single report saying the projection shrinks the United States.
What this is about. Almost every world map makes some places look bigger or smaller than they are, and a campaign led by African governments wants the United Nations to favour one that shows Africa at its true relative size.
How it got here.
- 1569. The Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator drew a map for sailors. On it, a straight line is a constant compass bearing, which made it very good for navigation. The price is area: land looks larger the further it lies from the equator.
- The result. On Mercator maps Greenland can look about as big as Africa, though Africa is about 14 times larger, according to the BBC and Anadolu. Mercator-style maps are still widely used, in classrooms and in online maps.
- 1970s onward. Critics have long argued over the map. The best-known challenge was the Gall-Peters equal-area map, which caused a public row among geographers. Some critics call Mercator Eurocentric. Its defenders say every flat map distorts something, and that Mercator was built for navigation, not to show size.
- 2018. A team of cartographers published the Equal Earth projection. It keeps areas in proportion.
- February 2026. The African Union's 54 member states adopted Equal Earth, the BBC reports. Its backers then took the campaign, known as "Correct the Map", to the UN.
Who is involved.
| Actor | Why it is in this |
|---|---|
| African Union states, led by Togo | They say the map shrinks Africa in how people see it. Togo's foreign minister, Robert Dussey, spoke for the resolution. |
| The UN General Assembly | All 193 member states sit in it. Its resolutions are recommendations. Under the UN Charter they bind no one, unlike some Security Council decisions. |
| The United States | It was the only state to vote against. At the Assembly, its representative said the body should spend its time on peace and prosperity instead. |
What is at stake. The effects are practical but slow: which map schools, governments, UN agencies and technology companies choose to show. Anadolu reports that the resolution urges them to use equal-area maps and does not ban Mercator.
Where it stands. The resolution passed on 4 September 2026. How many institutions actually change their maps is still unknown.
What is being argued about
- Whether the Assembly changed the world map or recommended one: two reports say the map itself was changed, two call the resolution non-binding.
- Who put the text forward: Togo with African Union backing, African Union states with the Bahamas, or the African Union and Togo under French sponsorship.
- Whether France sponsored the resolution or only voted for it — the BBC puts it among the 164 in favour, An-Nahar puts it at the sponsorship.
- What follows from the vote: only the BBC says institutions will change the maps they use, and it names no source for that.
Claims and verdicts
BBC News
BBC News
🇬🇧UK ·
public broadcaster · public-service
UN votes to adopt new world map to reflect Africa's true size
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at BBC News →
What we have measured
Dating and attribution 'It was not until Tuesday' is a judgement about delay, not a date. No other report we hold comments on how long the German finding took. ×1How hard the claim is stated Headline says the UN voted to adopt and replace; the last sentence of the report says the vote is non-binding ×1How hard the claim is stated The qualification arrives in the last sentence and is immediately overridden by an effect the report gives no source for. ×1Which figure is used States the replacement as done — the Assembly voted to replace the map — where the resolution urges states to use a different projection. ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Anadolu Agency
Anadolu Agency
🇹🇷TR ·
state agency · state-controlled
LBCI (Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International)
LBCI (Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International)
🇱🇧LB ·
TV/radio · independent
BBC News
BBC News
🇬🇧UK ·
public broadcaster · public-service
UN votes to adopt new world map to reflect Africa's true size
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at BBC News →
What we have measured
Dating and attribution 'It was not until Tuesday' is a judgement about delay, not a date. No other report we hold comments on how long the German finding took. ×1How hard the claim is stated Headline says the UN voted to adopt and replace; the last sentence of the report says the vote is non-binding ×1How hard the claim is stated The qualification arrives in the last sentence and is immediately overridden by an effect the report gives no source for. ×1Which figure is used States the replacement as done — the Assembly voted to replace the map — where the resolution urges states to use a different projection. ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Anadolu Agency
Anadolu Agency
🇹🇷TR ·
state agency · state-controlled
BBC News
BBC News
🇬🇧UK ·
public broadcaster · public-service
UN votes to adopt new world map to reflect Africa's true size
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at BBC News →
What we have measured
Dating and attribution 'It was not until Tuesday' is a judgement about delay, not a date. No other report we hold comments on how long the German finding took. ×1How hard the claim is stated Headline says the UN voted to adopt and replace; the last sentence of the report says the vote is non-binding ×1How hard the claim is stated The qualification arrives in the last sentence and is immediately overridden by an effect the report gives no source for. ×1Which figure is used States the replacement as done — the Assembly voted to replace the map — where the resolution urges states to use a different projection. ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Anadolu Agency
Anadolu Agency
🇹🇷TR ·
state agency · state-controlled
Who wrote it
BBC News
Anadolu Agency
Coverage, outlet by outlet
BBC News
BBC News
🇬🇧UK ·
public broadcaster · public-service
UN votes to adopt new world map to reflect Africa's true size
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at BBC News →
What we have measured
Dating and attribution 'It was not until Tuesday' is a judgement about delay, not a date. No other report we hold comments on how long the German finding took. ×1How hard the claim is stated Headline says the UN voted to adopt and replace; the last sentence of the report says the vote is non-binding ×1How hard the claim is stated The qualification arrives in the last sentence and is immediately overridden by an effect the report gives no source for. ×1Which figure is used States the replacement as done — the Assembly voted to replace the map — where the resolution urges states to use a different projection. ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
— public-service
Anadolu Agency
Anadolu Agency
🇹🇷TR ·
state agency · state-controlled
LBCI (Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International)
LBCI (Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International)
🇱🇧LB ·
TV/radio · independent
Al Jazeera English
Al Jazeera English
🇶🇦QA ·
TV/radio · state-funded international
International Court of Justice
International Court of Justice
INT ·
official record · intergovernmental body
What we have measured
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
International Criminal Court
International Criminal Court
INT ·
official record · intergovernmental body
What we have measured
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
UN News
UN News
INT ·
official record · intergovernmental body
What we have measured
Actors named Names both vetoing states and the sponsor, and says what the draft would have created ×1Asserted versus attributed share of women and children among the dead given with no source ×1Asserted vs attributed Israel named as acting, stated in the report's own voice ×1Asymmetric verb The Iranian government's crimes are 'confirmed'. The US finding is only 'reasonable grounds'. The two findings are weighted differently in one sentence. ×1
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