Country Size ComparisonD3 · TopoJSON · SVG
Russia vs Canada: True Size Comparison
Russia and Canada both sit far north, so both are visually inflated on Mercator world maps. Compare their true areas on the interactive map.
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.
No countries selected yet.
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 Russia and Canada at true scale
Russia and Canada both sit far north, so both are visually inflated on Mercator world maps. Compare their true areas on the interactive map.
Russia is about 1.7 times larger than Canada, and both countries are exaggerated by Mercator projection because of their northern latitude.
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 Russia larger than Canada?
Yes. Russia is about 17.1 million square kilometers, while Canada is about 10.0 million square kilometers.
Are both Russia and Canada distorted on Mercator maps?
Yes. Both extend far north, where Mercator projection inflates apparent 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.