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02Act II · 1:1 studio

Which is bigger: Italy or Brazil?

Brazil is larger: 8,510,417 km² versus 302,068 km² for Italy, about 28 times the area.

Both areas at the same scale: Italy 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.

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03 · Verdict

What the map gets wrong

True area tells a different story than the Mercator map.

True area ratio28.2×Larger in reality: Brazil.
Mercator: estimate at the area’s center15.7×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 43° (Italy) and 11° (Brazil) from the equator. An estimate based on each center’s latitude gives an area ratio of 15.7 : 1, compared with the real ratio of 28.2 : 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 ↗

Compare dynamically on map ↗Back to comparison tool ＋

Why do Italy 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.