📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Jakub Hałun
International
UN Adopts Equal Earth Map; India Raises Border Concerns
✍️ NewsGram
🗓 07 Sep 2026, 09:19 PM
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The United Nations has adopted the Equal Earth map, a new projection that aims to represent the world without distortion. India has expressed concerns about how the map depicts disputed territories such as Jammu & Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh.
The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on 12 October to officially endorse the Equal Earth map, a cartographic projection developed by the University of Minnesota that seeks to minimize area distortion across the globe.
Unlike the long‑used Mercator projection, which stretches landmasses near the poles, the Equal Earth map presents a more balanced view, making it useful for educational materials, digital mapping services and global data visualisations.
India, which was not a voting member on the resolution, has raised concerns that the new map’s depiction of Jammu & Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh could influence international perception of its territorial claims. The government has requested a review of the map’s representation of these disputed regions.
While the resolution is largely symbolic, it may set a precedent for future mapping standards adopted by international organisations, universities and technology companies worldwide.
Unlike the long‑used Mercator projection, which stretches landmasses near the poles, the Equal Earth map presents a more balanced view, making it useful for educational materials, digital mapping services and global data visualisations.
India, which was not a voting member on the resolution, has raised concerns that the new map’s depiction of Jammu & Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh could influence international perception of its territorial claims. The government has requested a review of the map’s representation of these disputed regions.
While the resolution is largely symbolic, it may set a precedent for future mapping standards adopted by international organisations, universities and technology companies worldwide.