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Today, the United Nations voted to adopt a new world map that reflects countries’ true relative sizes (programming.dev)

submitted 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) by Orwi@programming.dev to c/mildlyinteresting@lemmy.world

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https://edition.cnn.com/2026/09/04/world/un-vote-new-world-map-intl-scli

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[–] thebestaquaman@lemmy.world 1 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

The countries in power didn’t change much in size, but the countries they controlled did.

Sorry, but this is just a strange thing to say. The size of any place on a map can only be measured relative to other places on the map. "The countries in power didn't change much in size" just doesn't make any sense.

At the time when the Mercator projection was invented, we already had plenty of maps that gave a more accurate picture of the size of different land masses. The countries in power were actively colonising a lot of the world, so you better bet they would want to amplify their achievements.

The Mercator projection wasn't "just handy". It was literally the first widely used map projection that lat people sail across open seas and get where they wanted. That's a life/death matter. It's literally an integral part of the power of navigating the world seas.

The fact that it compresses the equator is directly a result of where the magnetic poles of the earth are aligned relative to the geography of the continents.

[–] huppakee@lemmy.world 1 points 2 hours ago

The countries in power didn’t change much in size, but the countries they controlled did.

Sorry, but this is just a strange thing to say. The size of any place on a map can only be measured relative to other places on the map. "The countries in power didn't change much in size" just doesn't make any sense.

What I meant with that is that the Mercator projection didn't blow up a country like Spain as much as a country like Norway. I was responding to you, dismissing your claim the change in size is irrelevant because the countries in power weren't close to the poles.

The major powers at the time were countries like Britain, Spain, France, and Italy. Not Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, and Canada, which are inflated far more than the former.

Again, The countries in power didn’t change much in size, but the countries they controlled did. As you point out, the size of a country is only relevant in relation to that of others.

People were sailing open waters long before the Mercator projection. What you're saying just isn't true. We're not going to agree, so i won't waste my time continuing this conversation.