The United Nations General Assembly has voted to endorse the Equal Earth map projection as a more accurate alternative to the centuries-old Mercator projection, prompting online debate after Australia appeared notably bigger and tilted under the new design. Supporters argue the change corrects long-standing distortions that exaggerate the size of countries near the poles, such as those in Europe and North America, while shrinking regions like Africa, Latin America and parts of Asia. Critics, including the US delegation, dismissed the move as a distraction from more pressing global issues.

The vote saw 164 countries back the motion, six abstain, and the United States cast the only vote against it. The proposal was led by Togo's Foreign Minister Robert Dussey, who argued maps shape education and perception and should not perpetuate distorted representations. France has already said it will adopt the Equal Earth projection, with Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot noting the Mercator map inflates the visual prominence of the US, Russia and China compared with Africa, Latin America and south-east Asia. The Mercator projection, created in 1569, preserves accurate coastlines and directions but distorts relative size, whereas Equal Earth prioritises true proportional scale over shape.