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Ever wondered why Greenland looks as big as Africa on the map? It’s because of something called the Mercator projection. Putting a 3-D planet on a two-dimensional world map was a challenge for early cartographers. So, a Flemish geographer and cartographer named Gerardus Mercator came up with a solution for the most accurate world map. 

In 1569, he designed an atlas that could be accurately used for navigation purposes. Still, the downside was that his system distorted the size of objects depending on their position relative to the equator. 

Because of this, landmasses like Antarctica and Greenland appear much bigger than they actually are. Though there are around 40 types of map projections, from conical to polyhedral and retroazimuthal, depicting the true size of the world, this one is still used the most because of its convenience and simplicity, even by Google Maps. None of these projections can be titled the real world map because they all depict the same Earth through a different lens.

So, what does the real-world map look like? To show how incorrect our understanding of countries by size is, a website called thetruesize.com lets you move land masses into different locations. This helps you understand the true size of countries. 

We at Bored Panda played a bit with this tool, and what we found will change your perspective on our planet’s geography. The website lets you juxtapose two countries together to compare their relative size.

Here’s what the real size of countries looks like.

#1

US Moved Down Next To Australia Looks Unbelievably Small

Map comparing the true size of the United States and Australia.

The True Size Report

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Yvonne Bernal
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Size of contiguous United States Not counting Alaska & Hawaii, the 48 contiguous states occupy a combined area of 3.12 million sq. mi. While Australia is 2.99 million sq miles - I never realized they were so close in size!

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#2

Russia On The Equator Is Not A Giant Bear Anymore

Map illustrating the true size of Russia compared to the equator, showing positional distortion.

the true size Report

#3

If Romania Was An Island In The Arctic Ocean

Map illustrating the true size of Romania compared to the Arctic Ocean.

The True Size Report

#4

Australia Is Way Bigger Than You May Think - It Covers Almost The Whole Of Europe

Map comparing Australia's true size in different global positions.

The True Size Report

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Hans
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We do not have kangaroos and koala beers over here, though. :( (And, well, also no giant spiders.)

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Is Africa Bigger Than it Appears on the Map?

Yes, Africa is significantly larger than it appears on many traditional maps. An interesting fact about the Mercator projection is that it distorts the sizes of landmasses as they get farther from the equator. This distortion disproportionately enlarges countries near the poles while diminishing the size of equatorial regions. As a result, Africa, which straddles the equator, is typically misrepresented as much smaller than it is in reality.

In reality, Africa covers an expansive area of about 11.7 million square miles. Its vastness is often underestimated on conventional maps, leading to misconceptions about its size and significance. On an accurate world map, Africa would appear three times the size of US.

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#5

If Brazil Was In Asia It Would Be Massive

Map showing the true size of Brazil compared to Russia, with Brazil's actual position in pink and overlaid on Asia in blue.

The True Size Report

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Brian Hermann
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The map of the earth is a 2 d representation of a 3 d object, that's why the size is different, because the map is distorted.

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#7

Greenland Is Not So Big When Compared To USA And Brazil

Map showing the true size of Greenland compared to the USA and the equator.

The True Size Report

#8

When You Move Canada To South America

Map showing Canada's actual size overlay on South America, illustrating the true size of countries.

The True Size Report

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Laura Mackenzie-Callow
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Nope. The width of South America at its widest point is 2,705 miles (4,353 km), The width of Canada at its widest point is 5,780 miles (9,306 km).

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What is the Most Realistic World Map?

The AuthaGraph is considered to be the real world map that shows the true size of countries.

Unlike the Mercator projection, which distorts the sizes of landmasses, the AuthaGraph projection aims to maintain equal area property. This means that the relative size of continents and countries is preserved accurately. This is essential for understanding the true proportions of different regions of the world.

The AuthaGraph projection minimizes distortion by dividing the Earth’s surface into 96 regions, which are then transferred to a tetrahedron. This tetrahedron is unfolded and flattened to create a two-dimensional map.

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While no projection can be perfect in preserving both area and shape, the AuthaGraph projection comes really close to showing the real size of countries.

#9

California Moved Onto The UK Shows They're Quite Similar In Size

Map overlay showing true size comparison of California and the United Kingdom.

The True Size Report

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J S
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The UK has given us the cultural and political basis for Western Civilization. California has given us the Kardashians Take your pick

Hans
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And quite soon both are not part of the European Union, as it seems.

J S
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So what you are telling us is that the UK is much more densely populated yet is much less polluted and has much less crime than California. Thank you for that information

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Karl Schroder
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

One problem with these views is the fact that New Zealand is bigger than Great Britton but no where near the size of California.

jason_th_wilson
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Except California is nearly double the land mass of the UK but I guess that is "quite similar in size."

Milos Gajic
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's not about the size of the country but about perception of it's size that's been read from the map.

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Candice Lee
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No Trump, but I think the recent Brexit fiasco has shown that you guys really aren't much smarter than us.

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#11

Australia Moved Onto North America Becomes REALLY Big

Map illustrating the true size of Australia compared to North America, with overlays for size comparison.

The True size Report

#12

Japan Can Stretch Almost Across Canada

Map showing Japan's true size, with overlays comparing its size and position over Canada.

The True Size Report

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Gordon Weir
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It all has to do with putting a round object onto a flat, rectangular presentation. Locations near the poles get stretched and distorted, appearing much larger. The point of the map is that IF Japan was in that particular geographic location (closer to the North Pole), it would look much larger when transcribed onto a flat map.

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Why is Greenland So Big on the Map?

Greenland appears disproportionately large on the maps due to an inherent distortion in translating the Earth’s three-dimensional, spherical surface onto a two-dimensional map.

The Mercator projection is widely used for navigational purposes because it preserves angles and, therefore, helps sailors navigate straight lines or constant compass headings. However, it doesn’t preserve area or size accurately, particularly as you move away from the equator. 

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It exaggerates the sizes of landmasses as they approach the poles, causing polar regions to appear much larger than they are in reality.

Greenland is situated near the North Pole, and as a result, it is significantly distorted on Mercator maps. In reality, Greenland is much smaller than it appears on traditional maps. It covers an area of approximately 850,000 square miles, making it only slightly larger than Saudi Arabia (830,000 square miles).

#13

Antarctica Is Not So Much Larger Than Brazil

Map comparing the true size of Antarctica to other countries on a world map background.

The True Size Report

#14

This Is How India Changes As You Move It North

Map showing the true size of India compared to Russia, highlighting India's actual position and size overlay.

The True Size Report

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Yvonne Bernal
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wholly Molley! No wonder I get so many customer service agents in India.... that is one HUGE country.

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#15

Canada Moved Down Onto The US Reveals That Both Countries Are Pretty Much The Same Size

Map showing the true size of Canada compared to the United States, highlighting Canada's larger geographical area.

The True Size Report

#16

How This All Works

Diagram showing 3D model, UV map, and texture illustrating the true size of countries on a world map.

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Tom Watson
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You should move this to the top for the dimwits. This is a great series of posts. Thanks for sharing - fun stuff :D

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Is the True Size Map Accurate?

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The True Size Of… is an interactive tool that lets you visually compare landmass. It provides a more accurate representation of landmass sizes and minimizes distortion.

#18

If Poland Was An Island In The Norwegian Sea

Map showing Poland's actual size and position, with a comparison to its location in the Norwegian Sea for perspective.

The True Size Report

#19

The US Could Easily Cover The Whole Of Canada But It Becomes Much Smaller When It's Moved South

Map depicting the true size of the U.S. compared in positions over Canada, its actual site, and on the equator.

The True Size Report

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Hans
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ask 100 people in a shopping male whether they believe this is the work of rogue regimes...90 will say "yes".

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#20

When You Move Mexico Onto Greenland Its Size Increases Dramatically

Map showing the true size of Mexico compared to Greenland, highlighting distortion in size perception.

The True Size Report

#21

If Lithuania Was An Island In The Barents Sea And Artic Ocean

Map illustrating the true size and position of a country compared to its displacement in the Arctic and Barents Sea.

The True Size Report

#22

Moving UK North And South Reveals How It Actually Compares To Other Countries

Map showing the true size of the UK compared to Greenland and the Equator, highlighting the distortion in world maps.

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#23

Democratic Republic Of The Congo When You Move It North

Map comparing true country sizes: Congo overlay on Greenland.

The True Size Report

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#24

How The Size Of Russia Changes As You Move It South

Map illustrating the true size of Russia compared to Australia.

The True Size Report

#25

#27 Tiny Iceland Compared To New York

Comparison map showing the true size of New York in orange and Iceland in blue.

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#26

Tiny Iceland Compared To Its Giant Neighbor Greenland

Map showing true size of Iceland compared to Greenland, highlighting size discrepancies on world maps.

The True Size Report

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#27

Let Me Just Make This Easy; The Issue Is Peters (accurate) Vs Mercator (inaccurate).

Comparison of Peters and Mercator projections showing the true size of countries.

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Thorfinn Tait
Community Member
8 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Peters" (actually Gall-Peters, as Gall came up with the projection long before) is no truer than Mercator overall. The key phrase here is area: Gall-Peters is designed to preserve relative areas, while Mercator preserves direction and shape. "True representation of land area" and "Incorrect/false representation of land area" are not entirely false statements, but they are too easily read as "Gall-Peters good, Mercator bad!" Which is simply not the case. But despite the famous West Wing scene, in fact there are many better projections than Gall-Peters for showing the whole world — and they have been and continue to be in use in most major publications related to maps and geography for many, many years. There's no single most popular projection, but Mollweide, Winkel Tripel, and perhaps Robinson remain some of the most common. In short: each projection has its own uses, and its own shortcomings. Mercator was never meant to be the only projection ever used.

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#28

Alaska Doesn't Seem So Big When Compared To 48 Contiguous States

Map showing true size of Alaska in orange at its actual position and in blue next to the contiguous United States.

The True Size Report

#29

Texas Moved On Top Of Alaska Shows That They're Almost The Same Size

Map illustrating the true size of Texas overlaid on Alaska.

The True Size Report

#30

You Cannot Make Legitimate Size Comparison Unless You Are Doing So On An Equal Area Map

World map using Hobo-Dyer projection, showing true size of countries with colorful borders and labels.

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Ryan Cove
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

At least this time, you used the Hobo Dyer Map instead of the atrocious Gall-Peters Map.

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