The True Size Of ...
An interactive map tool that reveals how the Mercator projection distorts the relative size of countries. Drag, drop, and rotate countries, states, provinces, and regions around the map to compare their true sizes.
How It Works
It is hard to represent our spherical world on a flat piece of paper. The most popular projection, the Mercator projection, exaggerates the size of countries nearer the poles while downplaying those near the equator. On a Mercator map, Greenland appears roughly the same size as Africa, but in reality Africa is nearly 14.5 times larger (11.6 million sq miles vs 0.8 million sq miles).
Popular Comparisons
- Greenland vs Africa
- Greenland vs United States
- Japan vs United Kingdom
- Russia vs Canada
- Brazil vs Australia
- Australia vs India
About
Created by James Talmage and Damon Maneice. Inspired by the Kai Krause infographic "The True Size of Africa" and an episode of The West Wing. A great tool for educators teaching world geography.
Please enable JavaScript to use the interactive map.