What different world maps get right - and what they get wrong

The Mercator projection is the map widely used across the globe but inaccurately depicts the sizes of countries and continents The UN has just called for the predominant world map to be replaced with one that more accurately reflects the true size of continents such as Africa. The "Correct the Map" resolution adopted , in which the African continent is shown as being of similar size to Greenland - even though it is in reality about 14 times larger. The UN adopted a new map, the Equal Earth projection, which better represents the true sizes of landmasses - but comes with problems of its own. There have been many prominent attempts over the years to solve the problem of accurately representing the surface of a sphere on a flat rectangle, each with its own benefits and drawbacks. The Mercator projection has been around since the 16th Century and was vital for navigating the oceans The now widely used Mercator map was created in 1569 . Its main purpose was to help European sailors navigate the oceans, as cartography Professor James Cheshire at University College London explained. "He wanted a straight line to be drawn on a map to look like a straight line in reality if you followed a compass bearing," he told the BBC. "That was what it was intended to do, and that's what it does brilliantly well." To keep those angles correct on a flat map, Mercator had to stretch the grid lines wider as they moved away from the equator toward the poles. His map accommodates for the curvature of the Earth . The distortion is a result of it being impossible to accurately represent the surface of a globe on a two-dimensional chart. More than 450 years on, Mercator's creation is still the basis for many of the maps we see in classrooms, on TV and online, including Google Maps. But critics of the Mercator map say there is a psychological effect to viewing some places as smaller than they actually are and others as larger, as we instinctively view bigger things as more important. For Kenyan geographer Kioko Muendo, this has implicitly downplayed Africa's vast resources, population and investment opportunities. "Maps are more than just guides for travellers - they shape how regions are perceived politically and economically," he told the BBC. The Equal Earth map aims to represent landmasses' area more fairly The Equal Earth map aims to address this problem with the Mercator projection.