India has raised objections over the proposed new world map endorsed by the UN General Assembly, insisting that Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh must be depicted in accordance with India’s official map.
New Delhi: India has objected to the proposed new world map being considered by the United Nations, saying that the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh must be shown in accordance with the official map of India.
India said on Sunday that any depiction of the country’s territory in an incorrect or misleading manner would not be acceptable.
The objection comes after the United Nations General Assembly voted on Friday in favour of a proposal aimed at replacing the traditional world map with a representation that more accurately reflects the relative size of continents.
The resolution, sponsored by Togo, received 164 votes in favour. Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine did not participate in the voting, while the United States was the only country to vote against the proposal.
India’s objection over Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh
India has made it clear that any new global map associated with the United Nations should respect the country’s official territorial depiction.
According to India’s position, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, both Union Territories of India, should be represented exactly as shown on the official map of the country. New Delhi has stressed that there should be no inaccurate, distorted or misleading representation of Indian territory.
The issue is significant because maps used by international organisations can have diplomatic and political implications, particularly when they involve disputed or sensitive territories.
Why is the UN considering a new world map?
The proposed change is primarily aimed at correcting a long-standing problem associated with the Mercator projection, a map projection developed in the 16th century that became widely used for navigation and subsequently for world maps.
The Mercator projection significantly distorts the apparent size of land masses as they move farther from the Equator.
Under this projection, regions such as Greenland appear much larger relative to Africa than they actually are. In reality, Africa is roughly 14 times larger than Greenland.
The proposed map seeks to provide a more realistic representation of the relative sizes of continents and countries, particularly by presenting Africa in a form that more accurately reflects its actual geographical scale.
Map representation remains a sensitive issue
While the proposed change is largely linked to geographical accuracy and map projection, India’s objection highlights the wider importance of how national territories are represented on international maps.
New Delhi’s position is that geographical accuracy should also extend to the depiction of India’s territorial boundaries, particularly Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
India has therefore made clear that any UN-associated map should follow the country’s official map and territorial representation, and that an inaccurate or misleading depiction would not be acceptable.
