France, Sept. 4 -- The announcement comes as the United Nations General Assembly votes on Friday on a resolution calling for the world to move away from Mercator maps in favour of projections that more accurately reflect the true sizes of countries.

France is co-sponsoring the resolution, which was brought by Togo and the African Union.

The text does not seek to ban the Mercator projection outright. It asks governments, schools, international organisations and technology companies to adopt the Equal Earth projection and other equal-area maps where the true scale of continents matters.

At the Africa Forward summit, a different conversation about France Changing perceptions

The French Foreign Ministry "will abandon the Mercator projecti...