Country Size ComparisonD3 · TopoJSON · SVG
Greenland vs Africa: True Size Comparison
Greenland often looks close to Africa on a Mercator world map, but Africa is far larger in real area. Drag Greenland on the map to see how latitude changes its apparent scale.
Interactive Mercator map
Move the comparison set
Drag any coloured country north or south. The map reports the projection's apparent scale at the new latitude.
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Try moving Greenland toward DR Congo to compare the contrast.
One more perspective
Keep exploring the scale
Every toy changes one assumption. Try another and see what moves.
True Size Comparison
Compare Greenland and Africa at true scale
Greenland often looks close to Africa on a Mercator world map, but Africa is far larger in real area. Drag Greenland on the map to see how latitude changes its apparent scale.
Africa is roughly 14 times larger than Greenland by land area, even though Mercator projection makes Greenland look enormous near the Arctic.
How the map helps
Move the selected countries away from their original latitude. The shapes stay on the same projection so their apparent scale changes in real time.
Why the result can be surprising
Traditional world maps exaggerate high-latitude countries. Moving both places to comparable latitudes makes the area relationship clearer.
FAQ
Is Greenland really almost as large as Africa?
No. Greenland is about 2.17 million square kilometers, while Africa is about 30.37 million square kilometers.
Why does Greenland look so big on many maps?
Mercator projection stretches areas near the poles, so high-latitude places like Greenland appear much larger than their true area.
Mercator is useful for navigation, but it does not preserve area. The country shapes and fixed area values remain unchanged as you move them.