The world has chosen a different map
nature video · Published on September 19, 2026
Loved this video? Share it!
Send it to someone who'll love it, or post it on your networks.
Description
On 4 September, the United Nations General Assembly voted to phase out use of the Mercator map, a sixteenth-century projection that is widely used but has been criticized for not representing countries’ sizes accurately. The resolution was proposed by Togo with the backing of the African Union and the geography research community. They say that shrinking Africa affects how the continent is perceived in media, education and policy. - Written & Presented by Dhruv Shenai - Produced & Edited by Maren Hunsberger - Stock Images: Getty / BardoczPeter / mikroman6 / gagarych / ZU_09 / Luisa Vallon Fumi - Map projections from Wikimedia Commons / Strebe - Stock Music: Adobe / Fable Tracks / Dreamnote Music - Mercator projection animation courtesy of Grafonaut - Special thanks to Dan Fox - Supervising producer Shamini Bundell
See also
Is this the end of the leap second?
nature video · Science
This is why butterflies are so hard to catch
nature video · Science
60-second Nobel Prize: Chemistry
nature video · Science
Mirror molecules claim Chemistry Nobel
nature video · Science
Physics Nobel Prize in 60 seconds
nature video · Science
Physics Nobel goes to ghost-particle hunter
nature video · Science