Canada ↗
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Total surface area9,984,670 km²ed. 2024
Population41,651,6532025
Land area8,788,700 km²2023
TypeCountry
02Act II · 1:1 studioChange pair ↙
Which is bigger: Canada or United Kingdom?
Canada is larger: 9,984,670 km² versus 244,376 km² for the United Kingdom, about 41 times the area.
Both areas at the same scale: Canada and United Kingdom. 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.
United Kingdom ↗
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Total surface area244,376 km²ed. 2024
Population69,487,0002025
Land area241,930 km²2023
TypeCountry
03 · Verdict
What the map gets wrong
True area tells a different story than the Mercator map.
True area ratio40.9×Larger in reality: Canada.
How it looks on Mercator57.9×Looks larger on a Mercator map: Canada.
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 60° (Canada) and 54° (United Kingdom) from the equator. On a Mercator map their area ratio is 57.9 : 1, while in reality it is 40.9 : 1.
Tip: You can also compare these items dynamically by clicking the link below and dragging them directly across the global interactive map.
The comparison uses total surface area from the listed UN or FAO source. Natural Earth outlines are simplified visualizations. Read the methodology ↗
Why do Canada and the United Kingdom 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.