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MEA said that India’s sovereign territory, including the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, must be shown according to the country’s official map.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. (PTI file photo)
The United Nations General Assembly has adopted a resolution seeking to promote more accurate representations of the world on maps, with India voting in favour of the move. But New Delhi on Sunday made it clear that its support was limited to the principle of using equal-area map projections and did not amount to endorsing any particular map or changing how India’s territory is depicted.
The Ministry of External Affairs also issued a strong clarification on Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, saying they must be shown according to India’s official map and that any inaccurate or misleading depiction is “unacceptable”.
New Delhi also stressed that the resolution should remain technologically and methodologically neutral.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Sunday said India supported the broader principle of using equal-area map projections, which preserve the relative sizes of continental landmasses.
MEA Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Sunday said the UN General Assembly adopted the resolution titled “Correct the Map: Rebalancing Global Cartographic Representation and Promoting Equitable Representation of the World’s Regions, Particularly Africa” on September 4.
What The UN Resolution Says
MEA said the purpose of the resolution was to encourage the use of equal-area map projections that preserve the relative sizes of continental landmasses.
“The resolution neither adopts nor authenticates a particular world map, nor does it address political cartography, including international boundaries, disputed territories or place names,” MEA said.
The resolution was adopted by the UN General Assembly on Friday by a vote of 164-1. It encourages wider consideration of equal-area map projections to address distortions associated with traditional systems such as the Mercator projection.
India said its support was for the underlying principle of equal-area cartographic representation and not for any particular system.
India’s Position On J&K, Ladakh
While backing the resolution, India separately stressed that it should not be interpreted as an endorsement of any specific depiction of national boundaries.
MEA said India had made an explanation of vote stressing the principle of promoting equal-area cartographic representation. “We also highlighted that the resolution does not constitute endorsement of any specific map, projection or depiction of national boundaries,” he said.
MEA also made clear that India’s sovereign territory, including the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, must be shown according to the country’s official map.
“India’s sovereign territory, including the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, must be depicted in accordance with India’s official map. Any inaccurate or misleading depiction is unacceptable,” MEA stated.
MEA added, “Our position on India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is clear, consistent and non-negotiable.”
India: No Endorsement Of Any Specific Map
Delivering India’s statement at the General Assembly, Indian diplomat Raghoo Puri said New Delhi’s position was to support the broader use and consideration of equal-area projections.
“We believe that the resolution should be understood as supporting the broader use and consideration of equal-area map projections and not as endorsing the Equal Earth projection or any other specific map projection,” Puri said.
He said equal-area projections could provide a more accurate representation of the relative size of different regions.
“This can help address distortions in perceived landmass size that arise from projections designed primarily to preserve other geographic characteristics, such as shape, direction, or distance,” Puri said.
India also said countries, academic institutions and cartographers should have the freedom to choose a map projection according to their specific requirements.
“We believe it is important for this resolution to remain technologically and methodologically neutral,” Puri said.
Puri said India’s support was specifically limited to encouraging equal-area approaches where the objective was to preserve the relative sizes of continental landmasses.
“Therefore, our position is limited to the principle of encouraging equal-area approaches where the objective is to preserve the relative sizes of continental landmasses,” he said.
He added that this would advance the objective of the resolution without giving preference to any particular cartographic methodology or projection, including the Equal Earth model.
“India has, therefore, voted in favour of this resolution,” Puri said.
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Ask News18India voted in favor of the UN General Assembly resolution to promote more accurate representations of the world on maps by encouraging the use of equal-area map projections. This approach preserves the relative sizes of continental landmasses, addressing distortions found in traditional systems like the Mercator projection.
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Shuddhanta Patra is an Indian journalist with about nine years of experience in covering national politics, geopolitics, defence, diplomacy and international affairs. Her reporting focuses on South As…Read More
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