2026-09-09
26 分钟Cutting through an overload of information to get to the heart of the story.
This is The Point.
From a grassroots campaign to almost unanimous global recognition, the United Nations General Assembly voted almost
unanimously on Friday to replace the familiar Mercator map we are also used to with what's called the Equal Earth Map.
UN members voted 106 to 1 to adopt the new map projection,
which more accurately depicts the size of countries, regions and the continents on which they sit.
Africa, for instance, will now be displayed much bigger,
while countries closer to the poles, such as Europe and North America, will appear considerably smaller.
What's behind...
This change is this significant and how did the grassroots campaign gather so much momentum
and why was the United States the only country in the world to vote against it.
Welcome to this edition of The Point.
An opinion show coming to you from Beijing.
I'm Li Xin and I'm pleased to be joined from Johannesburg, South Africa by Professor David Mounier,
Director of the Center for Africa-China Studies at the University of Johannesburg.
From Beijing, Ben Norton, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Geopolitical Economy Report.
And from Washington, D.C., Anton Fadiash
and Associate Professor in the Department of History at the American University.
Gentlemen, Welcome to The Point.
So first of all, let's understand the story.