The UN challenges five centuries of cartography • Hacker News Board

Re: The UN challenges five centuries of cartography

#11

Post by sb057 » Wed, Sep 09, 2026, 5:38 PM UTC

AlexandrB wrote: post #3

What's the material difference between this and Trump's "my button is bigger"[1] nonsense or the renaming of various bodies of water? I know the UN claims that "Correcting cartographic distortions of continental sizes constitutes an act of cognitive justice and memorial reparation." but it's purely symbolic and changes nothing geopolitically. My personal favourite equal-area projection is something like Boggs eumorph…

>I know the UN claims that "Correcting cartographic distortions of continental sizes constitutes an act of cognitive justice and memorial reparation." but it's purely symbolic and changes nothing geopolitically.

Symbols are arguably the most important aspect of geopolitics.

Re: The UN challenges five centuries of cartography

#12

Post by GolfPopper » Wed, Sep 09, 2026, 5:39 PM UTC

Obligatory xkcd:

https://xkcd.com/977/

Re: The UN challenges five centuries of cartography

#13

Post by frieseke » Wed, Sep 09, 2026, 5:41 PM UTC

AlexandrB wrote: post #3

What's the material difference between this and Trump's "my button is bigger"[1] nonsense or the renaming of various bodies of water? I know the UN claims that "Correcting cartographic distortions of continental sizes constitutes an act of cognitive justice and memorial reparation." but it's purely symbolic and changes nothing geopolitically. My personal favourite equal-area projection is something like Boggs eumorph…

The UN is a body that is intended to facilitate global cooperation. This symbolic change better represents the body's members and updates an incorrect visualization, which leads to better cooperation and representation.

Trump's renaming changes serve his own whims and selfish ego, they perform the opposite effect and hinder global cooperation.

Re: The UN challenges five centuries of cartography

#14

Post by mdp2021 » Wed, Sep 09, 2026, 5:42 PM UTC

tensor wrote: post #8

kspacewalk2 wrote: post #6

Robinson projection is a good enough, boring compromise, if the UN was interested in that.

No one needs a compromise. The world (except the US) agreed to use this new map together. It's not a conflict.

Somebody who does not represent anybody "agreed" - not us.

Re: The UN challenges five centuries of cartography

#15

Post by [deleted] » Wed, Sep 09, 2026, 5:44 PM UTC

kspacewalk2 wrote: post #6

Robinson projection is a good enough, boring compromise, if the UN was interested in that.

[deleted]

Re: The UN challenges five centuries of cartography

#16

Post by flexagoon » Wed, Sep 09, 2026, 5:46 PM UTC

kspacewalk2 wrote: post #6

Robinson projection is a good enough, boring compromise, if the UN was interested in that.

Here's an image I made to show the difference between Robinson and Equal Earth:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Comparison_of_Equal_...

Whichever you prefer, what matters is that we should all just stop using Mercator.

Re: The UN challenges five centuries of cartography

#17

Post by EA-3167 » Wed, Sep 09, 2026, 5:46 PM UTC

sb057 wrote: post #11

AlexandrB wrote: post #3

What's the material difference between this and Trump's "my button is bigger"[1] nonsense or the renaming of various bodies of water? I know the UN claims that "Correcting cartographic distortions of continental sizes constitutes an act of cognitive justice and memorial reparation." but it's purely symbolic and changes nothing geopolitically. My personal favourite equal-area projection is something like Boggs eumorph…

>I know the UN claims that "Correcting cartographic distortions of continental sizes constitutes an act of cognitive justice and memorial reparation." but it's purely symbolic and changes nothing geopolitically. Symbols are arguably the most important aspect of geopolitics.

Yeah… the US condemnations of the Axis powers is what really turned the tide, joining into the war later was really a post-script right?

Re: The UN challenges five centuries of cartography

#18

Post by EA-3167 » Wed, Sep 09, 2026, 5:47 PM UTC

erxam wrote: post #10

AlexandrB wrote: post #3

What's the material difference between this and Trump's "my button is bigger"[1] nonsense or the renaming of various bodies of water? I know the UN claims that "Correcting cartographic distortions of continental sizes constitutes an act of cognitive justice and memorial reparation." but it's purely symbolic and changes nothing geopolitically. My personal favourite equal-area projection is something like Boggs eumorph…

It's not the most pressing issue in the world, but long-term, maps do shape conceptions about the world that we don't personally know. So it might be symbolic, but symbols are powerful.

That must be why we all live in awe and fear of giant, mighty Greenland.

Re: The UN challenges five centuries of cartography

#19

Post by ButlerianJihad » Wed, Sep 09, 2026, 5:49 PM UTC

GolfPopper wrote: post #12

Obligatory xkcd: https://xkcd.com/977/

Oh, it's not often we get an entire category of XKCD comics: https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Category:Bad_Map_...

I'm partial to https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2256:_Bad_Map_Pro...

Re: The UN challenges five centuries of cartography

#20

Post by lordloki » Wed, Sep 09, 2026, 5:50 PM UTC

"And since we often, without thinking, use size as a proxy for importance or power, this subtly reinforces a sense of northern superiority over the global south."

We also use position as a proxy for importance or power, so perhaps they should flip the map over as well. /s