New Delhi, Sept. 5 -- The United Nations General Assembly has backed an African Union-led effort to change how the world is represented on maps, adopting a resolution calling for more accurate and equitable cartographic depictions of different regions, particularly Africa.

The "Correct the Map" resolution, championed by Togo on behalf of the African Group, was adopted on Friday with overwhelming support. A total of 164 countries voted in favour, while one voted against and six abstained.

The resolution focuses on an issue that has long been debated in geography: the way certain world map projections can make some parts of the world appear much larger or smaller than they actually are.

The Permanent Observer Mission of the African Union...