India Supports UN Resolution for Accurate Global Map Representation
India's Vote at the UN General Assembly
Raghoo Puri, First Secretary at the Permanent Mission of India to the UN, addresses UNGA over UN's "correct the map" resolution. (Photo:X)
United Nations, Sep 5: India has cast its vote in favor of a resolution at the UN General Assembly that aims to enhance the accuracy and fairness of how continental landmasses are depicted on world maps.
Raghoo Puri, the First Secretary at India's Permanent Mission to the UN, elaborated on the nation's support for the resolution, highlighting its goal of fostering more precise and representative cartographic practices.
He stated, “Maps significantly influence how societies perceive geography and the relative dimensions of the world around them.”
India also clarified its interpretation of the resolution, emphasizing that it should not be seen as endorsing any specific map projection.
Puri remarked, “We view this resolution as advocating for the broader application of Equal Area map projections, rather than endorsing the Equal Earth projection or any other particular type.”
Equal Area projections are crucial as they maintain the relative sizes of continents and territories, he noted.
He explained that such methods can help rectify the distortions in the perceived sizes of landmasses that arise from map projections primarily designed to maintain other geographical features like shape, direction, or distance.
Nonetheless, he pointed out that various projections serve distinct cartographic functions, and no single projection is universally applicable.
“Thus, it is vital for this resolution to remain neutral in terms of technology and methodology,” Puri added, emphasizing that India's delegation supports language that promotes accurate cartographic representation while allowing nations, institutions, and cartographers to select projections that best meet their specific requirements.
He reiterated that India's endorsement is confined to Equal Area methods aimed at preserving the relative sizes of continental landmasses.
The UN General Assembly, comprising 193 member states, overwhelmingly passed the resolution titled “‘Correct the map’: rebalancing global cartographic representation and promoting equitable representation of the world's regions, particularly Africa.”
Spearheaded by Togo, the resolution garnered 164 votes in favor, with Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Serbia, and Ukraine abstaining, while the United States was the only nation to oppose it.
The resolution highlighted that the Mercator projection, created in the 16th century mainly for navigation, continues to be widely utilized in educational, media, digital, and official contexts, despite its significant distortion of landmasses located further north and south of the equator.
It expressed concern that such distortions lead to the minimization of the perceived sizes of Africa, Latin America, and South Asia, thus perpetuating an imbalanced worldview.
Furthermore, the resolution indicated that historical inaccuracies in representing continental sizes have cognitive, educational, cultural, geopolitical, and socioeconomic repercussions.
Addressing these biases could foster greater acknowledgment, justice, and development, particularly concerning the African continent.
The Mercator projection, developed in 1569 by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator, is particularly advantageous for navigation as it preserves local angles and directions.
However, it fails to maintain relative areas, resulting in regions near the poles appearing disproportionately larger than they actually are.