Bosnia and Herzegovina ↗
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Total surface area51,209 km²ed. 2024
Population3,140,0952025
Land area51,200 km²2023
TypeCountry
Area source: UN Demographic Yearbook 2024, Table 3
02Act II · 1:1 studio
Which is bigger: Bosnia and Herzegovina or Brazil?
Brazil is larger: 8,510,417 km² versus 51,209 km² for Bosnia and Herzegovina, about 166 times the area.
Both areas at the same scale: Bosnia and Herzegovina and Brazil. 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.
Brazil ↗
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Total surface area8,510,417 km²ed. 2024
Population212,812,4052025
Land area8,358,140 km²2023
TypeCountry
Area source: UN Demographic Yearbook 2024, Table 3
03 · Verdict
What the map gets wrong
True area tells a different story than the Mercator map.
True area ratio166.2×Larger in reality: Brazil.
Mercator: estimate at the area’s center88.5×Looks larger on a Mercator map: Brazil.
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 44° (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and 11° (Brazil) from the equator. An estimate based on each center’s latitude gives an area ratio of 88.5 : 1, compared with the real ratio of 166.2 : 1. This is not a measurement of the entire outlines on a Mercator map.
Tip: You can also compare these items dynamically by clicking the link below and dragging them directly across the global interactive map.
Figures represent total surface area from the sources listed beside each subject. The overlay uses an equal-area projection. Coastal outlines are simplified and do not include all waters counted in the statistics. Their area ratio can therefore differ from the ratio of official total areas. Geometry: Natural Earth, public domain. Read the methodology ↗
Why do Bosnia and Herzegovina and Brazil 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.