‘Radical’: U.S. rejects U.N.

The United Nations has adopted a West African country’s proposal for a new world map to replace one created in the 16th century.

The vote on Friday was almost unanimous. Only one country — the United States — voted against the proposed map, which more accurately reflects the size of Africa and other regions, calling it “radical.”

The resolution, titled “Correct the Map,” officially phases out the standard Mercator map, which cartographers say distorts the actual size of landmasses.

Tom Patterson, a retired cartographer for the U.S. National Park Service, is a co-creator of the Equal Earth map and says it provides a much-needed update.

“That was extremely useful during the age of exploration and European colonialism,” Patterson told NPR in an interview last year. “If you’re using the Mercator map as a world map, say, in the classroom, students would just have a completely warped view of the size of countries in the world.”