Equal Earth

Equal Earth projection, not Mercator

Coral stripes show how large countries look on Mercator.

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Filled countries are true size. Coral stripes are how they look on Mercator. Filled land is true size. Stripes are Mercator.

This map: Equal Earth Looks this size on Mercator

An interactive Equal Earth projection atlas

Filled countries are true size. Coral stripes show how large they look on Mercator. Click a country for the numbers.

This is an interactive atlas. You can pan, zoom, and search. The map uses the Equal Earth projection, not Mercator.

Mercator is the usual web map method from 1569. It stretches land near the poles so compass directions stay straight. Greenland looks similar in size to Africa on those maps. Africa is about 14 times larger.

An equal-area projection is a flat map that keeps true relative size. No flat map can show the Earth without a trade. Mercator keeps compass direction and loses size. Gall–Peters keeps size and stretches continent shapes. Equal Earth keeps true size with more familiar shapes.

In September 2026, the UN General Assembly adopted Correct the Map. The resolution is a request, not a law. Togo and the African Union led the campaign. It asks schools, governments, and tech companies to use equal-area maps such as Equal Earth.

In favor
164
Against
1 United States
Abstained
6 Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Serbia, and Ukraine

Ukraine and Serbia said they support true continent size. They objected to how some Equal Earth political maps draw disputed land. The resolution does not set borders.

Recorded vote on 4 September 2026. UN News report on the vote.

The globe is Natural Earth 1:50 million vectors drawn in Equal Earth. The original wall maps are available as downloads:

Political map: Tom Patterson, public domain. Physical map: BMZ German edition based on Equal Earth / Natural Earth. This site does not use cookies for visit counts.

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