UN adopts Equal Earth map as Ukraine abstains over Crimea depiction
The UN General Assembly adopted the Equal Earth world map projection on September 4, with 164 states voting in favor and the United States against. Ukraine abstained because the map shows occupied Crimea separated from the rest of Ukraine in a lighter shade distinct from both Ukrainian and Russian coloring. Ukraine's Permanent Mission warned that the depiction could "open a Pandora's box" and contradict UN resolutions on Ukraine's territorial integrity.
Key points
- The UN General Assembly adopted the Equal Earth map projection on September 4.
- 164 member states voted in favor; the United States voted against.
- Ukraine, Serbia, Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, and Moldova abstained from the vote.
- On the Equal Earth map, Crimea is shown separated from Ukraine in a lighter color distinct from both Ukraine and Russia.
- Russian-occupied territories of Georgia and Moldova receive no special marking on the map.
- Ukraine's Permanent Mission said the depiction of occupied Ukrainian territories violates the UN Charter and international law.
- The Equal Earth projection was developed in 2018 and is promoted as more accurate than the 16th-century Mercator projection, particularly in showing Africa in true proportions.
Why it matters
The vote marks a shift in the UN's official cartography, replacing the centuries-old Mercator projection with Equal Earth, which more accurately reflects the size of continents and Africa in particular. Ukraine's abstention, despite the resolution's broad support, highlights how the visual treatment of occupied territory on official UN-linked materials remains a sensitive issue, and signals disagreement among allies over the appropriate way to mark disputed territory on global maps.
What happened
The UN General Assembly voted on September 4 to adopt the Equal Earth world map projection as a replacement for the Mercator projection, which had been in wide use since the 16th century. The resolution was initiated by Togo and supported by African Union member states. It passed with 164 votes in favor; the United States voted against, and Ukraine, Serbia, Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, and Moldova abstained.
Ukraine's abstention was prompted by the map's depiction of Crimea. On the Equal Earth map, Crimea is shown separated from the rest of Ukraine in a lighter shade, distinct from the colors used for both Ukraine and Russia. Russian-occupied territories of Georgia and Moldova are not given any similar special marking. Ukraine's Permanent Mission to the UN said the depiction of temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories violates the UN Charter and international law, and warned that the interpretation could "open a Pandora's box" and contribute to distortions of the political world map. Ukraine said it approached the authors of the resolution to seek a compromise wording but was unsuccessful. Ukraine's Permanent Representative to the UN, Andriy Melnyk, publicly justified the abstention, thanking countries that also abstained and calling on allied states to take a more decisive stance. Ukrainian MP Kira Rudyk wrote that the depiction of Crimea was the reason for Ukraine's abstention.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All five sources covering this story are Ukrainian-language outlets. They lead with Ukraine's abstention and frame the story around the unacceptable depiction of Crimea rather than the cartographic merits of Equal Earth. Ukrainian coverage emphasizes the Permanent Mission's "Pandora's box" warning and the statements of Kira Rudyk and Andriy Melnyk, treating the Crimea marking as the central issue. Sources also stress the inconsistency of singling out Crimea while Russian-occupied parts of Georgia and Moldova receive no special marking on the map.
Where reporting differs
Sources differ only on how to render Kira Rudyk's title: some identify her as a Ukrainian MP and others as a People's Deputy. Both terms refer to the same elected legislator; the variation is a translation choice rather than a substantive disagreement.
Background
The Equal Earth projection was developed in 2018 and is promoted as more accurate than the Mercator projection, which has been the dominant world map since the 16th century. On the Mercator projection, Greenland and Africa appear roughly the same size, though Africa is in reality about 14 times larger. The resolution to adopt Equal Earth was initiated by Togo and supported by African Union member states, framing the change as correcting historical distortions affecting Africa and the Global South.