New world map provides a more accurate picture

Greenland and Africa no longer appear to be roughly the same size on the world map – a change which the UN General Assembly recently endorsed when it adopted a new map based on the Equal Earth projection. Bo Malmberg welcomes the initiative.“It is positive that the UN is drawing attention to how we view the world and the importance of depicting it in a fairer way,” says Malmberg in an interview with Svenska Dagbladet. New generations will thus gain a better and more accurate understanding of the Earth’s true proportions.

The new map adjusts the sizes of continents and countries so that they more accurately reflect their actual areas, something the classic Mercator projection from the 16th century does not do. On the Mercator map, for example, Greenland has appeared almost as large as Africa, even though Africa is almost 14 times larger. ’Equal Earth’ isn’t perfect, but it shows just how large different parts of the world actually are in relation to one another. The old Mercator map significantly enlarges areas near the poles in particular, which can give a misleading impression,’ explains Bo Malmberg.

The UN’s decision means that member states are urged to use ‘Equal Earth’ instead of the Mercator projection. The resolution was passed by a large majority – 164 countries voted in favour, six abstained and the US was the only country to vote against. Malmberg also reflects on whether the then US President Donald Trump’s interest in Greenland would have been the same had he viewed the island through the proportions of the new map.
“It would have been interesting to hear whether he realised just how much smaller Greenland is compared to Africa,” Bo Malmberg told Svenska Dagbladet.

Bo Malmberg was also interviewed by P1 Morgon about the new map. Listen to the feature here (In Swedish): Ny världskarta gör Afrika större: ”En riktig bild av världen”