The United Nations has voted to replace the Mercator map with the Equal Earth projection. The change could reshape how people understand countries in both size and importance.

Created in 1569, the widely used Mercator projection shows lines of longitude as straight lines, making it useful for sea navigation. It later became common in governments, classrooms, and online mapping services. However, the projection greatly enlarges areas near the poles, especially in the Northern Hemisphere. Canada and Russia therefore appear much larger than they really are. Greenland also appears the size of Africa, even though Africa is actually about 14 times larger.

Researchers say these distortions may influence how people view the world. Because people often connect physical size with power or importance, an inaccurate map can shape perceptions of countries and regions.

The Equal Earth projection, developed in 2018, uses curved lines of longitude to present the relative sizes of continents and countries more accurately. However, it also distorts some shapes and angles. For example, New Zealand appears stretched and sits near the map’s edge.

No flat map can represent Earth perfectly because a three-dimensional globe must be transferred onto a two-dimensional surface. Still, experts say the U.N.’s decision has educational, geographical, and symbolic importance.