True Size of Countries Map — Compare Real Country Sizes (Interactive)

This educational map helps you judge the true and actual size of countries and states (their actual land area and real size) by reducing Mercator distortion. Compare countries, compare states, and learn why “the Mercator projection is wrong” for area comparisons.

How to use this map

• Drag any country to new locations and compare its outline to others.
• For the most accurate size feel, move countries toward the equator (where Mercator distortion is minimal).
• Rotate an outline while dragging: press and hold “R”. On touch/small screens, use two fingers to rotate.
• Remove the active outline: press Delete or Backspace.
• Share your exact setup: copy the page URL; it encodes positions, rotations, and zoom.
• Embed this map on your site: use the embed snippet below.

Share and embed your setup

• Copy the page URL to share your exact arrangement (countries, positions, rotations, and zoom are encoded in the link).
• Use the embed snippet above to add the map to your site. It loads fast, works on mobile, and honors your saved view.

What is the Mercator projection?

The Mercator projection is a cylindrical map projection created by Gerardus Mercator in 1569. It preserves local angles and shapes, which made it extremely useful for navigation: straight lines on the map correspond to constant compass bearings (rhumb lines).

However, preserving angles comes at a cost: area distortion grows with latitude. As you move away from the equator, countries appear larger than they are. Near the poles, this inflation becomes extreme.

In plain terms: the Mercator map is excellent for directions and local shapes, but poor for comparing areas.

Why areas look wrong on Mercator

• Distortion increases with latitude: features at 60°N/S look about twice as tall as at the equator; near 80°N/S they balloon dramatically.
• Area inflation is roughly proportional to 1 / cos²(latitude). That means land far from the equator appears much bigger than its true area.

Mercator exaggerates high‑latitude areas; equal‑area views show their true size.
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons — “Worlds animate”. See the source page for licensing details: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Worlds_animate.gif

Famous examples

• Greenland vs. Africa: Greenland looks huge on many maps, but Africa is about 14 times larger.
• Russia vs. Africa: Africa is far larger than Russia, despite appearances on a Mercator world map.
• Alaska vs. Mexico: Alaska often looks bigger on the map, but Mexico actually has the larger area.
• Scandinavia vs. India: Northern Europe looks enormous at high latitudes, yet India’s land area exceeds many of those countries combined.

Why Mercator is still used

• Navigation: Straight-line bearings are simple to plot.
• Web maps: Slippy map tiles traditionally use a Mercator-like system, making zooming and panning smooth and consistent.
• Local accuracy: Over small regions, shape preservation makes roads and buildings look familiar and usable.

Mercator isn’t “wrong”—it is optimized for certain tasks. It’s just not ideal for comparing sizes across latitudes.

Better projections for area comparisons

If your goal is fair area comparison, use an equal‑area projection:

• Gall–Peters: Preserves area; shapes look unfamiliar but areas are right.
• Mollweide or Eckert IV: Equal‑area projections commonly used for world thematic maps.
• Equal Earth: A modern equal‑area design balancing aesthetics and legibility.

For general‑purpose atlases, compromise projections like Robinson or Winkel Tripel reduce both area and shape errors and are widely used in education.

Tips to build intuition

• Move any high‑latitude country (Canada, Greenland, Russia, Norway) toward the equator and watch it “shrink” to its true size.
• Move mid‑latitude countries (US, Europe, China) and compare to equatorial countries (Brazil, DR Congo, Indonesia) to calibrate your perception.
• Compare pairs you often see misjudged: UK vs. Madagascar, France vs. Peru, Japan vs. Zambia.

Featured inspiration

• Correct The Map campaign: https://correctthemap.org/
• CNN coverage on real sizes and the campaign: https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/15/africa/africa-real-size-world-map-campaign-intl

FAQ

Is Mercator a bad projection? No. It’s great for navigation and local shape fidelity. It’s just not made for comparing areas across the world.

Why do labels and zooming feel better on Mercator web maps? The tile system and consistent shapes make dynamic rendering fast and readable. That’s why many web maps default to a Mercator‑based scheme.

How can I compare countries fairly? Use an equal‑area projection or tools like this one. Dragging a country toward the equator reduces the apparent inflation and gives a better feel for true size.

Why does moving toward the equator help? Mercator’s scale inflation grows with latitude. Near the equator, distortion is minimal, so outlines feel closer to their real size.

Key takeaways

• Mercator preserves angles and local shapes, not area.
• Area distortion grows with latitude, making high‑latitude lands appear oversized.
• For fair comparisons, use equal‑area projections or move outlines toward the equator.
• This interactive map helps you build a reliable visual sense of real country sizes.