International

UN-Backed Equal Earth Map Draws Objections From India, Japan and Ukraine

11 September 2026 19:09 PM

NEWS DESK

The United Nations General Assembly has recently passed a resolution encouraging the use of a new world map projection designed to represent the relative sizes of the world's continents more accurately. However, India, Japan and Ukraine have raised objections to certain aspects of how disputed territories are depicted on the map.

The three countries do not oppose the principle of using the new map. Their concerns are primarily related to the colors and shading used to represent disputed territories.

According to an Al Jazeera report, the UN General Assembly last week adopted the resolution with 164 votes in favor. Six countries abstained, while the United States was the only country to vote against it.

The map promoted by the UN uses the Equal Earth projection, which provides a more accurate representation of the relative areas of continents than the widely used Mercator projection.

The Mercator projection was developed in 1569 by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator. Because it represents the spherical Earth on a flat surface, it significantly exaggerates the size of countries and regions located near the poles.

For example, Greenland appears almost as large as Africa on a Mercator map, although Africa is large enough to contain roughly 14 Greenlands. Similarly, Europe can appear larger than South America on the projection, whereas Europe is actually about half the size of South America.

The Mercator projection has long faced criticism from cartographers and African rights activists because it makes Africa appear disproportionately small. Critics argue that the distortion has also contributed to misleading perceptions of the continent.

Ukraine was among the six countries that abstained from voting on the UN resolution. Its main concern relates to how Crimea is depicted on the Equal Earth map.

Crimea, which is internationally recognized as part of Ukraine but has been occupied and claimed by Russia since 2014, is shown in a separate, lighter shade from mainland Ukraine on the Equal Earth map. Kyiv has expressed concern because the shade is similar to the color used for Russia.

Ukraine's UN representative, Andrii Melnyk, said his country does not oppose the main objective of the new map. However, he said Kyiv had requested changes to the map before the vote but did not receive a positive response.

Japan voted in favor of the resolution but later raised concerns over the depiction of the disputed Kuril Islands.

Japan said Russia and the disputed Kuril Islands are shown using the same color and shading on the Equal Earth map.

Russia and Japan have a longstanding dispute over four islands in the chain. Russia refers to them as the Southern Kurils, while Japan calls them the Northern Territories. The islands are currently under Russian administration.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said the Japanese Embassy in the United States had asked the creators of the Equal Earth map to make corrections.

According to Kihara, the current depiction conflicts with the Japanese government's position and could create an incorrect understanding of Japan's territory and geographical names.

India also voted in favor of the Equal Earth projection but later expressed concerns about how the disputed areas of Kashmir are represented.

Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the UN resolution does not make the use of any particular map mandatory. However, he stressed that India's sovereign territory, including Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, should be depicted in accordance with India's official maps.

Any other inaccurate or misleading representation, he said, would not be acceptable.

Kashmir has been a longstanding source of conflict between India and Pakistan. Parts of the region are administered by India and Pakistan, while China also claims territory in the northeastern part of the region.

The Equal Earth projection was designed to provide a more accurate picture of the relative size of the world's continents. But its depiction of disputed territories has already created new diplomatic sensitivities, highlighting the political challenges that can arise even from seemingly technical decisions about how the world is represented on a map.

United Nations world map objections