The resolution passed on Friday, with 164 countries voting in favour, one against and six abstaining. The US was the only country to oppose the measure.
Led by Togo and supported by African states, the resolution promotes the Equal Earth projection and other equal-area maps where accurate comparisons of geographical size are important.
It does not outlaw the centuries-old Mercator projection, which remains useful for navigation.
Instead, governments, schools, international organisations and technology companies are being encouraged to use maps that represent continental land areas more accurately.
The Mercator projection was developed by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569 and became one of the world’s most recognisable maps.
Its problem is mathematical rather than geographical.
When the spherical Earth is stretched onto a flat rectangular map, Mercator increasingly enlarges land closer to the poles.
That makes places such as Greenland, Europe, Russia and Canada appear disproportionately large, while equatorial regions including Africa appear comparatively smaller.
One of the most dramatic examples is Greenland.
On many Mercator maps, Greenland appears roughly comparable in size to Africa. In reality, Africa is about 14 times larger.
The African Union has increasingly argued that the distortion is not merely a cartographic curiosity.
The continental body endorsed the broader push for more accurate maps and backed Togo’s campaign at the United Nations.
Supporters say generations of pupils have grown up looking at maps that visually diminish Africa while enlarging parts of the northern hemisphere, subtly influencing perceptions of geographical and geopolitical importance.
Togolese Foreign Minister Robert Dussey has argued that Africa is seeking neither sympathy nor special treatment, but scientifically accurate representation.
The campaign forms part of a wider movement sometimes described as an effort to correct “cartographic colonialism” and challenge inherited representations of Africa.
The Equal Earth projection, introduced in 2018, preserves the relative area of countries and continents far better than Mercator while still presenting the globe in a familiar-looking format.
The UN resolution is non-binding, meaning countries are not legally compelled to change the maps used in classrooms, government publications or online platforms.
Its political weight, however, could prove significant.
Togo is already planning changes to its school geography materials and further engagement with African Union states, international institutions and technology companies.
For Africa, the vote represents something larger than cartography.
After centuries of appearing smaller on the world’s most familiar map, the continent has persuaded almost the entire General Assembly that how the world is drawn can influence how the world is seen.
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