Popular navigation apps unlikely to ditch Mercator maps despite UN resolution
UN-backed Equal Earth map has educational value but won’t alter navigation apps.
UN-backed Equal Earth map has educational value but won’t alter navigation apps.
The short version
- Nearly every country represented in the United Nations General Assembly recently voted in favor of promoting world maps that more accurately show the size of various continents.
- But the UN resolution is unlikely to change how millions of people regularly see versions of 16th-century Mercator maps depicting skewed continent sizes in navigation apps.
- On September 4, the African-led resolution attracted 164 votes in favor, with six countries abstaining from voting.
What happened
Only the United States voted to oppose the resolution after describing it as a “radical ideological project,” according to UN News . The non-binding UN resolution does not impose map changes on anyone.
Why it matters
Instead, it “encourages governments, schools, international organizations, and technology companies to use the Equal Earth projection and other so-called equal-area maps when relative size matters,” UN News reported.
Summary by Nerd News Network. Read the full article at Ars Technica via the links above and below.