India has backed a United Nations General Assembly resolution promoting the use of equal-area world map projections but has made it clear that any depiction of its sovereign territory must conform to the country’s official map.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Sunday said the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakhmust be shown in accordance with India’s official map. It also warned that any inaccurate or misleading representation of Indian territory would be unacceptable.

The clarification came two days after the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution aimed at promoting a more accurate representation of the relative sizes of the world’s continental landmasses. 

India supported the resolution, but not a specific map

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal clarified that India’s vote in favour of the resolution should not be interpreted as an endorsement of any particular world map or cartographic projection.

According to the ministry, India supported the underlying principle of equal-area cartographic representation, which seeks to preserve the relative size of continental landmasses more accurately than some traditional projections.

Jaiswal said the UN resolution neither adopts nor authenticates a particular world map, nor does it deal with political cartography, including international boundaries, disputed territories or place names. 

MEA draws a clear line on J&K and Ladakh

While backing the broader objective of improving geographic representation, India reiterated its position on territorial integrity.

The MEA said India’s sovereign territory, including Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, must be depicted according to the country’s official map. Any representation that is inaccurate or misleading would not be acceptable.

Jaiswal described India's position on sovereignty and territorial integrity as “clear, consistent and non-negotiable.”

This distinction is important because the UN resolution is primarily concerned with how landmasses are represented on maps rather than with changing political boundaries.

What is the Equal Earth map?

The UN resolution promotes the use of equal-area map projections, which aim to represent the relative sizes of countries and continents more accurately.

The widely used Mercator projection, developed by Gerardus Mercator in 1569, was designed primarily to help with navigation. However, when the curved surface of the Earth is transferred onto a flat map, areas farther from the Equator can appear considerably larger than they actually are.

This is why Greenland, for example, can appear comparable in size to Africa on a Mercator map despite Africa being vastly larger in reality.

The Equal Earth projection, introduced in 2018, attempts to address this size distortion while retaining a visually balanced representation of the world's continents. 

UN resolution passed with 164 votes

The resolution, titled “Correct the Map: Rebalancing Global Cartographic Representation and Promoting Equitable Representation of the World's Regions, Particularly Africa,” was sponsored by Togo and adopted by the UN General Assembly on September 4.

It received 164 votes in favour. Six countries abstained, while the United States was the only country to vote against the resolution. 

The initiative has been driven particularly by African countries, which have argued that conventional world maps can visually understate the continent’s enormous landmass.

Will the UN decision change India's borders?

No.

The resolution does not alter India's territory, international boundaries or land area. It also does not legally require governments, schools, publishers or technology companies to immediately abandon the Mercator projection.

Instead, the resolution encourages wider use of projections that preserve the relative area of continents more accurately. 

Mercator-type projections can also continue to have practical applications, particularly in navigation, because of their useful representation of directions.

Why India's clarification matters

India's response separates two issues that could otherwise be conflated: cartographic projection and political boundaries.

New Delhi has supported efforts to reduce distortions in the visual representation of the world's landmasses. At the same time, it has reiterated that such a change cannot be interpreted as acceptance of any depiction of India's territory that differs from its official map.

The MEA's clarification therefore establishes that India's vote was based on the principle of more accurate area representation and should not be viewed as altering its established position on sovereignty or territorial integrity.

The Quad foreign ministers on Tuesday reaffirmed their commitment to a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific, underscoring the importance of international law, sovereignty and territorial integrity during a high-level meeting in Manila, Philippines. The meeting, held on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting, came amid renewed tensions in the South China Sea following a fresh confrontation between Chinese and Philippine forces.

Although the joint discussions did not explicitly mention China, the repeated emphasis on respecting sovereignty and maintaining the rules-based international order was widely viewed as a diplomatic message directed at Beijing's growing maritime activities in the Indo-Pacific.

Quad Reviews Regional Security

The meeting brought together India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and their counterparts from Japan and Australia to review recent developments affecting regional security.

Following the discussions, Jaishankar said the ministers reviewed the evolving Indo-Pacific landscape and assessed progress on decisions taken during the previous Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in New Delhi.

He reiterated that the four countries remain committed to promoting a free, open, inclusive and prosperous Indo-Pacific, while recognizing ASEAN's central role in the region's security architecture.

Rule of Law at the Centre

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed the group's shared vision, stating that India, the United States, Japan and Australia remain united in supporting an Indo-Pacific based on the rule of law, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Rubio said the Quad continues to be a strategic priority for Washington and confirmed that the four nations are expected to meet again later this year to advance cooperation across security, economic resilience, critical technologies and regional stability.

Diplomatic observers noted that the ministers deliberately avoided directly naming China, but the language used closely reflected long-standing concerns over Beijing's activities in disputed maritime regions.

South China Sea Tensions

The meeting took place just a day after a fresh confrontation between China and the Philippines near the disputed Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea.

According to Philippine authorities, personnel from both sides engaged in a physical clash involving oars and batons during a maritime encounter. Manila alleged that a Chinese Coast Guard officer injured a Filipino sailor during the incident.

China rejected the allegations, accusing Philippine personnel of provoking the confrontation and claiming that Manila's account distorted the facts.

The incident has further heightened tensions between the two countries, both of which have summoned each other's ambassadors following the clash.

Strategic Message Without Naming China

While the Quad's official statements avoided directly referring to Beijing, analysts believe the meeting reflected growing concern over attempts to alter the regional status quo through coercion or unilateral actions.

The emphasis on territorial integrity, freedom of navigation, and respect for international law aligns with the group's longstanding position on maintaining stability in the Indo-Pacific.

The latest developments also highlight the Quad's expanding role as a strategic platform for coordination among four major democracies amid increasing geopolitical competition in the region.

India's Expanding Indo-Pacific Role

For India, the Manila meeting reinforced its commitment to strengthening partnerships across the Indo-Pacific while continuing to advocate dialogue, adherence to international law and peaceful resolution of disputes.

New Delhi has consistently maintained that peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific are essential for regional prosperity and global trade, particularly as vital international shipping routes pass through the South China Sea.

With maritime security becoming an increasingly prominent issue, the Quad is expected to deepen cooperation in areas including humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, cyber security, critical technologies, supply chain resilience and maritime domain awareness.