New Zealand ↗
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Total surface area268,164.31 km²ed. 2024
Population5,324,7002025
Land area263,310 km²2023
TypeCountry
02Act II · 1:1 studioChange pair ↙
Which is bigger: New Zealand or Germany?
Germany is larger: 357,581 km² versus 268,164 km² for New Zealand, or about 33% more.
Both areas at the same scale: New Zealand and Germany. 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.
Germany ↗
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Total surface area357,581 km²ed. 2024
Population83,491,2492025
Land area349,430 km²2023
TypeCountry
03 · Verdict
What the map gets wrong
True area tells a different story than the Mercator map.
True area ratio1.3×Larger in reality: Germany.
How it looks on Mercator1.9×Looks larger on a Mercator map: Germany.
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 42° (New Zealand) and 51° (Germany) from the equator. On a Mercator map their area ratio is 1.9 : 1, while in reality it is 1.3 : 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 New Zealand and Germany 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.