Maps Shape Power More Than You Think | Vancouver News

The UN just passed a historic resolution to fix centuries-old map distortions, ending the Mercator projection’s misleading exaggeration of polar regions while downplaying Africa’s true size — a move championed by Togo and the African Union, with only the U.S. voting against it. This isn’t the first push for change — Arno Peters’ 1973 equal-area maps sparked global debate and inspired NGOs like Oxfam and UNESCO. Now, the UN promotes the Equal Earth projection to reshape how we perceive global power and geography, though digital giants like Google Maps still rely on Mercator for smooth zooms. Maps aren’t neutral — they’re political tools that shape our worldview, urging us to question what we see and who benefits from how the world is drawn. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/019704efa3126771