Compare the real size of countries
Click a country to see its area. Drag its orange outline to another part of the map to see how latitude changes its apparent size. The area stays the same.
The wide world view uses an equirectangular projection; it shows the whole world but enlarges apparent areas toward the poles. Map outlines and areas are approximate. A selected outline matches the map at its original position; dragging rotates its boundary on a globe before drawing it in the chosen view. Read the method and data notes.
Country size comparisons
Read a measured answer, then test what the map appears to show. Each article uses the same boundary dataset and names the limits of its figures.
- Greenland and IndiaIndia has about 1.46 times Greenland’s area here; Mercator can suggest the reverse.
- Brazil and AustraliaTwo vast places with different shapes and a much narrower area gap.
- Russia and CanadaBoth reach high latitudes, but their measured areas remain distinct.
- Mexico and IndonesiaA close pair where islands, water gaps and source resolution matter.
How to read this map
Use the area figure to answer “which is bigger?”
The number beside a selected place is its approximate area within the boundary data used here. India measures about 3.16 million km² in that data; Greenland measures about 2.15 million km². Moving Greenland’s outline over India changes the drawing, but it does not change either number. The circles in the comparison panel scale by area, so their proportions stay fixed as you drag.
Use the outline to understand the map’s distortion
Mercator preserves local angles while enlarging places farther from the equator. At 60° latitude, its local area scale is four times the equatorial scale. That is why a familiar world map makes northern places look unusually prominent. Dragging an outline toward another latitude shows the change in apparent size; it is an illustration, not a claim that the country itself grows or shrinks.
Switch views when the question changes
The wide world view fits all latitudes into a broad frame. The equal-area view keeps the same area scale across latitudes, making relative area easier to judge visually; it changes shapes to do so. No flat world map preserves area, shape, direction, and distance everywhere at once; the U.S. Geological Survey explains those tradeoffs. Switch among the views, then use the area figures for a numerical answer.
Know what the figures leave out
Areas here are calculated from Natural Earth’s 1:50m country boundaries before the display outlines are simplified. They are consistent within this map, but they are not official land-area or total-area statistics. Coarse coastlines, small islands, inland water, and the source’s border choices can affect the result. Read the calculation and data notes before using a figure in research or teaching.
Look beyond the map
Choose the right explanation for the question you are asking.
- Why does a country change size on a map?Use a live diagram to compare the area distortion of three world map views.
- What does a country’s area include?Understand land, inland water and the polygon estimate used here.
- How much does Mercator enlarge area?See calculated scale factors by latitude and for seven mapped places.
- The largest places in our mapStudy a top-20 ranking with notes on near ties and territories.
- Countries of nearly equal sizeExplore ten pairs found by comparing 5,671 possible pairings.
- Country and territory area indexSearch all 241 mapped places and open a profile or map scene.
- Classroom worksheet and answer keyPredict, check, and explain six pairs with printable materials.
- Country size quizPractice with ten measured comparisons.