Nicaragua ↗
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Total surface area130,373.5 km²ed. 2024
Population7,007,5022025
Land area120,340 km²2023
TypeCountry
02Act II · 1:1 studioChange pair ↙
Which is bigger: Nicaragua or North Korea?
Nicaragua is slightly larger: 130,374 km² versus 120,538 km² for North Korea, a difference of about 8%.
Both areas at the same scale: Nicaragua and North Korea. 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.
North Korea ↗
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Total surface area120,538 km²ed. 2024
Population26,571,0362025
Land area120,410 km²2023
TypeCountry
03 · Verdict
What the map gets wrong
True area tells a different story than the Mercator map.
True area ratio1.08×Larger in reality: Nicaragua.
How it looks on Mercator1.5×Looks larger on a Mercator map: North Korea.
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 13° (Nicaragua) and 40° (North Korea) from the equator. On a Mercator map their area ratio is 1.5 : 1, while in reality it is 1.08 : 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 Nicaragua and North Korea 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.