联合国大会通过决议支持采用等面积地图投影

联合国大会于2026年9月5日通过决议，支持采用等面积地图投影替代传统麦卡托地图。2该决议由多哥提案、多个非洲国家主导，164个成员国投赞成票，美国投反对票，6个国家弃权。2弃权的国家为爱沙尼亚、格鲁吉亚、立陶宛、摩洛哥、塞尔维亚和乌克兰。2该投票在任何方式上都不挑战麦卡托投影在海上和航空导航中的使用。2

传统的麦卡托投影创建于1569年，由弗兰德斯制图师Gerardus Mercator绘制。2麦卡托投影导致赤道地区陆地相对缩小、极地地区相对放大。2在这种投影方式下，非洲大陆看起来与格陵兰岛差不多大小，但实际上非洲比格陵兰大约14倍。2等面积地图投影于2018年发布，1更准确地展现了各大陆的相对大小。

多哥外交部长罗伯特·杜塞表示，"地图塑造我们对世界的理解"，1并指出该国目标是在今年年底前更换学校使用的地图。2法国外交部长让-诺埃尔·巴罗在社交媒体上表示，法国将放弃麦卡托投影。2

美国代表Yaryna Ferencevych对该提案提出质疑，称其推行"意识形态议程"，是"分散注意力"的举措。2

The United Nations General Assembly voted to replace the traditional Mercator projection with an equal-area map projection, a shift aimed at correcting geographic distortions that have persisted for centuries.12 The resolution, sponsored by Togo and backed by the African Union, passed with 164 member states voting in favor on September 5, 2026.2 The United States voted against the measure, while six countries—Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Serbia, and Ukraine—abstained.2

The Mercator projection, created in 1569 by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator, has long distorted the relative sizes of landmasses, particularly affecting equatorial regions by shrinking them while enlarging polar areas.2 Under the current system, Africa appears roughly the same size as Greenland, though Africa is actually approximately 14 times larger.12 The equal-area projection, released in 2018, provides a more accurate representation of continental proportions.1

Togo's Foreign Minister Robert Dussey emphasized the significance of the change, stating that "maps shape our understanding of the world."1 He added that his country aims to replace maps in schools by year's end.2 France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot declared on social media that while changing maps does not change the world itself, "correcting a distorted representation of the world is already a manifestation of truth," and confirmed that France will also abandon the Mercator projection.2

However, U.S. Representative Yaryna Ferencevych characterized the proposal as promoting an "ideological agenda" and serving as a "distraction."2 The UN clarified that the vote does not challenge the continued use of the Mercator projection for maritime and aviation navigation.2