The United Kingdom is larger: 244,376 km² versus 151,906 km² for Florida, or about 61% more.
Both areas at the same scale: Florida and United Kingdom. Drag the outlines, separate them and see what the Mercator map hides.
Drag the outlines to overlap them, or place them side by side.
US state. The comparison uses land and inland water (lakes, rivers) from the Census Bureau's 2010 figures, without coastal, territorial or Great Lakes water.
Area source: U.S. Census Bureau (2010)
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The figure includes Northern Ireland, not just the island of Great Britain.
Area source: UN Demographic Yearbook 2024, Table 3
True area tells a different story than the Mercator map.
The Mercator projection enlarges areas more and more the farther they lie from the equator. The centers of the two areas lie about 29° (Florida) and 54° (United Kingdom) from the equator. An estimate based on each center’s latitude gives an area ratio of 3.6 : 1, compared with the real ratio of 1.6 : 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.
Each figure is the area described beside its subject, from the source listed there. 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 ↗
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.
Florida covers 151,906 km² of land and inland water (lakes, rivers), including 138,887 km² of land. The Census Bureau also gives a total area of 170,312 km², which adds coastal and territorial water. The comparison uses the first figure because it matches the outline on the map. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The figure includes Northern Ireland, not just the island of Great Britain.
