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Antarctica
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Total surface area14,200,000 km²
Population1,000
TypeContinent
02Act II · 1:1 studioChange pair ↙
Which is bigger: Antarctica or Canada?
Antarctica is larger: 14,200,000 km² versus 9,984,670 km² for Canada, or about 42% more.
Both areas at the same scale: Antarctica and Canada. Drag the outlines, separate them and see what the Mercator map hides.
True-size comparison
Same scale. Real difference.
Drag the outlines to overlap them, or place them side by side.
Canada ↗
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Total surface area9,984,670 km²ed. 2024
Population41,651,6532025
Land area8,788,700 km²2023
TypeCountry
03 · Verdict
What the map gets wrong
True area tells a different story than the Mercator map.
True area ratio1.4×Larger in reality: Antarctica.
How it looks on Mercator44.2×Looks larger on a Mercator map: Antarctica.
Why does this happen?
The Mercator projection enlarges areas more and more the farther they lie from the equator. The centers of the two areas lie about 85° (Antarctica) and 60° (Canada) from the equator. On a Mercator map their area ratio is 44.2 : 1, while in reality it is 1.4 : 1.
Tip: You can also compare these items dynamically by clicking the link below and dragging them directly across the global interactive map.
At least one value represents a continent and comes from an older editorial dataset. Treat the result as an approximation. Read the methodology ↗
Why do Antarctica and Canada look different on a Mercator map than in reality?
The Mercator projection preserves angles, which makes it useful for navigation, but it enlarges areas more and more the farther they lie from the equator. At 60° latitude, areas already appear four times larger than at the equator. A same-scale comparison like the one on this page greatly reduces that distortion.