The UN General Assembly voted 164–1 on Sept. 4, 2026 to encourage use of equal-area projections such as Equal Earth, reshaping how the “us map” appears in classrooms and media.
The U.N. resolution, dubbed “Correct the Map”, recommends replacing long-used Mercator-style maps with projections that show landmasses in true relative size, the UN’s news service reported.
At the same time, President Donald Trump posted an altered image of a map on social media that showed the U.S. flag or U.S. territory extending over Canada, Greenland, Iceland and parts of Mexico, prompting diplomatic complaints.
Iceland summoned the U.S. ambassador after the post, citing concerns about sovereignty, Reuters and the BBC reported. The post also drew criticism from Denmark’s foreign minister over Greenland being depicted under U.S. control.
The U.N. vote and the presidential post have produced different debates over maps: one formal, focused on cartographic accuracy and education policy, the other political and symbolic on social media.
Experts and cartographers said the Equal Earth projection preserves area while reducing distortion, making continents such as Africa look much larger relative to Greenland and Europe, NPR explained in its explainer on the projection.
The UN News report said Member States endorsed the non-binding resolution “to encourage the use of equal-area projections such as Equal Earth”, noting the vote count was 164 to one. AP and the BBC provided matching tallies and described the resolution as non-binding.
Meanwhile Reuters and CNN described how the presidential map post spread on social platforms and prompted Reykjavik to summon the U.S. envoy for talks, marking a rare diplomatic rebuke tied to a social-media image rather than an official policy statement.
What this means for the “us map” going forward is twofold: schools, publishers and map makers may increasingly adopt equal-area projections after the U.N. endorsement, while political uses of maps on social media can produce rapid diplomatic friction, analysts told outlets covering both stories.
Sources
- UN News — reported the General Assembly vote 164–1 and described the “Correct the Map” resolution encouraging equal-area projections.
- Reuters — reported that Iceland summoned the U.S. ambassador after President Trump posted a map showing Iceland and Greenland under U.S. control.
- BBC — corroborated the diplomatic summons and summarized reactions from European ministers to the map post.
- NPR — explained how the Equal Earth projection preserves area and why Africa appears larger than on Mercator maps.
- AP — provided reporting on the UN vote count and described the resolution as non-binding.
