Sweden could soon shrink

 

Jenny Martorell

 

Published 16.01Updated 16.49

 

On Friday, the UN General Assembly will vote – should Sweden become smaller or not? Photo: Alastair Grant / AP

An unusual vote will take place at the UN on Friday.

Now Africa could become bigger.

And Sweden much smaller.

If the vote in the UN General Assembly goes through, the world map will change shape and better reflect the true proportions of the continents.

This would mean that Africa would become larger on the map – and Europe smaller. Although UN resolutions are not binding, it could mean that schoolbooks around the world will, for example, receive new maps.

The initiator of the resolution is Togo, with the support of the other 54 member states of the African Union, among others, reports The Guardian.

– This discussion is not a political discussion, but a scientific discussion because there is scientific evidence. Therefore, we must all accept reality, says Togo's Foreign Minister Robert Dussey to The Guardian.

457-year-old map

One could also argue that it is about time. The current map projection dates back to 1569.

It was created by the cartographer Gerardus Mercator to make it easier for sailors to find their way around the seas. But because the Earth is spherical, countries near the equator are disproportionately small. Those that are far from the equator – such as Sweden – are disproportionately large.

One example is Greenland, which on the current world map is almost the same size as the whole of Africa, when in fact the island is 14 times smaller.