India votes for UN 'Fix the Map' resolution, calls for cartographic neutrality
Ключевые моменты
- The UN General Assembly adopted the 'Fix the Map' resolution by a 164-1 vote.
- India supported the resolution but refused to adopt a single projection (Equal Earth).
- India called for maintaining technological and methodological neutrality in cartographic methods.
- The Mercator projection exaggerates polar regions; Africa is 14 times larger than Greenland, Brazil 5 times larger than Alaska.
В цифрах
The UN General Assembly adopted the "Fix the Map" resolution on Friday by a vote of 164 to 1. The resolution aims to replace the Mercator projection, used since the 16th century, with equal-area projections. While supporting the resolution, India emphasized the need to avoid endorsing any specific map projection and to maintain technological neutrality.
India's representative Raghoo Puri stated that equal-area projections are critical for eliminating the size distortions created by old navigation-focused maps. Puri argued that the resolution should encourage the broad use of equal-area approaches rather than endorsing Equal Earth or another specific projection. India sought to preserve the freedom of countries and institutions to choose the projection best suited to their needs.
Although the Mercator projection remains common for navigation, it shows regions near the poles at exaggerated sizes compared to the equator. For example, on Mercator maps Greenland appears as large as Africa, while in reality Africa is 14 times larger than Greenland. Similarly, Alaska appears as large as Brazil, yet Brazil is nearly 5 times larger.
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Часто задаваемые вопросы
- What was decided in the UN 'Fix the Map' resolution?
- The resolution encourages replacing the Mercator projection with equal-area map projections; 164 countries voted in favor and 1 against.
- Why did India attach a 'neutrality' condition to the resolution?
- India wants the resolution to promote the general use of equal-area approaches rather than endorsing a specific projection like Equal Earth, and demands that countries' freedom to choose projections according to their needs be preserved.
- What is the fundamental problem with the Mercator projection?
- The Mercator projection is suitable for navigation but shows continents near the poles (Greenland, Antarctica) much larger than they really are, while representing the equatorial region in true proportion.
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