The Equal Earth projection replaces the Mercator projection in classrooms and general use.

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The UN resolution passed by the General Assembly endorses the Equal Earth projection (developed in 2018 by Bojan Šavrič, Tom Patterson, and Bernhard Jenny) to replace the Mercator projection in classrooms and general use.

The map I have on my wall is a Robinson projection (or a very close pseudocylindrical derivative). While it shares a similar visual silhouette with Equal Earth—straight horizontal latitude lines, flat pole lines, and gently bowed meridians—there is a fundamental mathematical difference in how they handle landmasses:

1. Compromise vs. True Equal-Area

Your Map (Robinson): Developed in 1963 as a "compromise" projection. It does not preserve true area or true angles. Instead, it balances distortions purely by eye so continents look natural to the viewer. Because it is not an equal-area map, landmasses closer to the poles are still exaggerated in size (Canada, Russia, and Greenland are still visually inflated compared to the equator, though far less drastically than on a Mercator).

The New UN Map (Equal Earth): It is mathematically equal-area. Every square centimetre on the paper represents the exact same surface area on Earth.

2. Relative Proportions

Africa & the Tropics: On your Robinson map, Africa and South America are reasonably well-proportioned, but on the Equal Earth map, equatorial and southern landmasses appear even more prominent and voluminous. Africa is shown in its true physical scale: roughly 14 times the size of Greenland.

High Latitudes (Greenland, Canada, Northern Europe): On your map, Greenland still appears relatively large compared to South America or Africa. On the Equal Earth projection, high-latitude landmasses visibly shrink to their true relative surface areas.

3. Parallels and Meridian Geometry

To achieve true equal-area representation without the severe, vertical "funhouse mirror" stretching of the controversial Gall-Peters projection, Equal Earth subtly alters the grid geometry:

The parallels of latitude compress closer together as they approach the poles.

The outer meridians bow out with a slightly different mathematical curve inspired by the Robinson projection, maintaining recognisable continental shapes while keeping surface area ratios exact.

In short: my wall map abandoned Mercator's extreme poleward distortion for visual balance, whereas the new Equal Earth projection formalises that visual appeal with strict mathematical equality of area.