@nature: On 4 September, the United Nations General Assembly voted to phase out use of the Mercator map, a sixteenth-century projection that is widely used but has been criticized for not representing countries’ sizes accurately. The resolution was proposed by Togo with the backing of the African Union and the geography research community. They say that shrinking Africa affects how the continent is perceived in media, education and policy. Written & Presented by Dhruv Shenai Based on original reporting by Dhruv Shenai Produced & Edited by Maren Hunsberger Stock Images: Getty / BardoczPeter / mikroman6 / gagarych / ZU_09 / Luisa Vallon Fumi Map projections from Wikimedia Commons / Strebe Stock Music: Adobe / Fable Tracks / Dreamnote Music Mercator projection animation courtesy of Grafonaut Special thanks to Dan Fox Supervising producer Shamini Bundell

Nature

Open In TikTok:

Region: GB

Saturday 19 September 2026 10:05:00 GMT