The ministry of exterior affairs issued a clarification on Sunday concerning the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh after backing the African Union’s decision to “rebalance” the world map.
In a press release, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal mentioned that India voted in favour of the map, explaining that the vote burdened“the underlying precept of selling equal – space cartographic illustration.”
“We additionally highlighted that the decision doesn’t represent endorsement of any particular map, projection or depiction of nationwide boundaries,” the MEA added additional.
The United Nations General Assembly voted on Friday to again a decision spearheaded by a number of African nations to undertake a map that makes their continent greater whereas shrinking North America and Europe.
The decision aimed toward “a extra correct illustration” of continental landmasses. The decision was supported by 164 nations, whereas the USA voted in opposition to it, and 6 different states abstained.
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India warns in opposition to ‘incorrect depiction’
India has again and again been an ally for the African Union states, from guaranteeing its inclusion within the group of twenty (G20) to now backing the “equal earth” map on the United Nations.
Nevertheless, New Delhi insisted that the equal earth map is not going to change the depiction of present nationwide boundaries.
“India’s sovereign territory, together with the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, should be depicted in accordance with India’s official map. Any inaccurate or deceptive depiction is unacceptable. Our place on India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is obvious, constant and non-negotiable,” Jaiswal added within the assertion.
What led to the decision for a brand new map?
The Mercator map, which has been in frequent use for the reason that sixteenth Century, has been criticised for exhibiting Africa as being of comparable measurement to Greenland, although its mass is definitely 14 instances bigger.
This map, first designed in 1569, was made to assist European explorers navigate the world over. The distortion of the map is predicated on the truth that the floor of a globe can’t be represented on a two-dimensional chart.
Within the Mercator map, the curvature of the Earth is accommodated for by making nations close to the equator appear smaller than they’re and nations close to the poles seem bigger.
So as to handle this, an “equal earth” map was created in 2018 and in February 2026, all 54 nations within the African Union adopted the map as a consequence of its “correct illustration of all continents, particularly Africa.”
The map was put earlier than the United Nations by Togo, backed by African Union nations.
“Altering the map clearly does not change the world. However correcting a illustration that distorts it’s already an act of reality,” Togolese International Minister Robert Dussey advised reporters earlier than the vote on the map.
