Claims extracted
17
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 17 hedged
("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
60/100
National Post's corrections and
hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
25
World
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
The United Nations General Assembly voted Friday to adopt a new world map that makes the African continent bigger while shrinking North America and Europe, drawing ire from Washington.
asserted
continent → vote → Washington
Aimed at “a more accurate representation” of continental landmasses, the resolution was supported by 164 countries while the United States voted against it and six other states abstained.
asserted
states → aim → it
The new map — known as the Equal Earth cartographic projection — improves “the accuracy of the cartographic representation of the world,” the resolution said.
asserted
resolution → know → world
It urges member states to use the new map in place of the traditional Mercator projection, which was designed for maritime navigation by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569.
asserted
which → urge → 1569
Foreign Minister Robert Dussey of Togo, which sponsored the resolution, said maps “guide education, nourish the imagination, and influence collective perceptions.”
“They are therefore never neutral; when they present a distorted image of our planet, they risk perpetuating inaccurate representation that is passed down through generations.”
asserted
that → sponsor → generations
The United States however slammed the resolution, saying such moves are “the reason this institution is losing its credibility.”
asserted
institution → slam → credibility
“Instead of focusing on genuine problems… this body is debating map projects from the 16th century and their role in promoting reparations and cognitive justice,” U.S. representative Yaryna Ferencevych said ahead of the vote.
asserted
Ferencevych → focus → vote
The Mercator projection focused on accurate depictions of the shapes and angles of land masses, but their relative sizes were often inaccurate — largely due to the challenge of rendering a three-dimensional globe onto a two-dimensional map.
asserted
sizes → focus → map
It inflated northern regions and compressed equatorial ones, making Europe and North America appear much larger, while shrinking Africa and South America.
asserted
Europe → inflate → Africa
A group of cartographers launched the Equal Earth projection in 2018.
asserted
group → launch → 2018
It makes Africa, Latin America, South Asia and Oceania appear much larger.
asserted
Africa → make → ?
“Equal Earth preserves the relative surface areas of continents and, as much as possible, shows their shapes as they appear on a globe,” one of the cartographers, Bojan Savric, told AFP in 2025.
asserted
one → preserve → 2025
France — which co-sponsored the resolution in support of the new map — announced Friday that it would abandon the Mercator projection.
asserted
it → co → projection
In that map, “the United States, Russia and China take on a disproportionate visual prominence compared to Africa, Latin America or southeast Asia,” while “Greenland appears almost as big as Africa,” Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said.
asserted
Barrot → take → Africa
“Changing maps obviously doesn’t change the world,” he said.
asserted
he → change → world
“But correcting a distorted representation is already an act of truth.”
asserted
correcting → correct → truth
The initiative comes as France is seeking to improve relations with Africa, particularly in former colonies with which it has prickly ties.
asserted
it → come → ties
The Aporia
