Africa’s true size is gaining formal recognition at the United Nations after the General Assembly overwhelmingly backed an African-led initiative calling for fairer and more accurate world maps. Beyond correcting a geographical distortion, the decision raises a larger question about how Africa is represented, and how representation can shape perceptions of its place in the world.
The United Nations General Assembly on 4 September 2026 adopted the “Correct the Map” resolution, an initiative championed by Togo on behalf of the African Group that seeks to promote world maps that more accurately represent the relative size of Africa and other regions.
The resolution received overwhelming support: 164 UN member states voted in favour, the United States voted against, and six countries, Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine, abstained. African Union officials welcomed the outcome as an important step towards correcting a cartographic representation that has long understated Africa’s geographical scale.
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