Map correction is not an easy task. The United Nations must have realised this soon after adopting a resolution to promote equal-area map projections that more accurately show the true size of Africa and other continents.

The resolution, a bold attempt to correct a centuries-old cartographic distortion, was supported by 164 countries, with only the United States opposing it and six abstaining. India voted in favour.

There is nothing wrong with correcting a distortion. But, like medicines, corrections can sometimes produce unexpected side effects. The 16th-century Mercator projection does make Africa appear much smaller than it is in relation to North America and Europe.

Yet, there is a basic fact that should not be........

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