Maps have been lying to us our entire lives, and it's not entirely their fault. The challenge of depicting our round world on flat paper has created some major misconceptions about how big countries really are. Remember looking at Greenland on a standard world map and thinking it was nearly the size of Africa? Not even close – Africa is actually about fourteen times larger!

These comparison maps strip away the distortions we've grown accustomed to, revealing surprising truths about our planet's geography. When countries get dragged from their usual positions and placed alongside others for accurate size comparison, the results can be downright shocking. Russia may be the largest country by land area, but it's not nearly as massive as it appears on traditional maps. On the flip side, Vatican City is the smallest country in the world but itn't even half the size of Central Park's lake! These 29 eye-opening comparisons will forever change how you view the world, proving once again that what we think we know isn't always what is.