In 2026 the United Nations moved its official world maps to the Equal Earth projection — the "new world map" now appearing across news coverage and social feeds. It is the most visible change to the standard world map in over four centuries.
What actually changed
- The shape of the world did not change. Continents, borders and oceans are identical. What changed is the projection — the mathematical method for drawing a round planet on a flat page.
- Area is now honest. The old Mercator projection inflates land near the poles: Greenland appeared larger than Africa, though Africa is about 14× bigger. Equal Earth shows every country at its true relative size.
- The vote was about standards, not geography. The UN sets map standards used by its agencies, schools and publications worldwide; adopting Equal Earth means newly produced official maps will show true sizes.
Why the US vote drew attention
The vote on the map standard sparked debate in several national delegations, and searches for "why did the US vote against the new map" spiked worldwide. Position changes on cartographic standards are diplomatic as much as technical — a familiar map is a political artifact: country sizes on it shape perceptions of importance. That is precisely why projection choices matter, and why the change is significant beyond cartography.
Does the old map disappear?
No. Mercator remains unmatched for marine navigation because it preserves compass bearings, and countless existing maps, globes-in-apps and web tiles still use it. The transition happens gradually, map by map. See for yourself: old map vs new map, side by side.
About the projection itself
Equal Earth was designed by Šavrič, Patterson and Hürger (2018) as an equal-area projection that also looks like the "traditional" world-map silhouette people expect — unlike earlier equal-area options that look unfamiliar or distorted in shape.