Equal Earth
How UN’s resolution to move away from Mercator projection changes the way we see Earth.
You probably see a map of the world every other day in books, Dot’s infographics, Google Maps and elsewhere. This common map is called the Mercator projection, and what we don’t realize is how grossly inaccurate it gets the size of places on Earth.
Two days ago, the United Nations voted to adopt a resolution calling for the world to formally phase out the 16th-century Mercator map in favour of an “Equal Earth” one, designed in 2018.
The “Correct the Map” resolution was introduced by the West African country of Togo, on behalf of the African Union. 164 countries voted in favour of the resolution, and only the United States voted against it.
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Why did the Mercator projection get the world so wrong? Does Equal Earth get things right, or does it create complications of its own? And why did the US vote against the resolution? Let’s find out!
(If math and geometry make you queasy, don’t worry. There’s none of that here. Just some common sense and intuition is needed!)
Curious? Read or listen to how UN’s resolution to move away from Mercator projection changes the way we see Earth, on Dot.
Find the full story here: https://www.dot.news/post/6a9d508b39f8f40002ccc3e9
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