Papua New Guinea ↗
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Total surface area462,840 km²ed. 2024
Population10,762,8172025
Land area452,860 km²2023
TypeCountry
02Act II · 1:1 studioChange pair ↙
Which is bigger: Papua New Guinea or Sweden?
Papua New Guinea is slightly larger: 462,840 km² versus 438,574 km² for Sweden, a difference of about 6%.
Both areas at the same scale: Papua New Guinea and Sweden. 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.
Sweden ↗
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Total surface area438,574 km²ed. 2024
Population10,596,6202025
Land area407,270 km²2023
TypeCountry
03 · Verdict
What the map gets wrong
True area tells a different story than the Mercator map.
True area ratio1.06×Larger in reality: Papua New Guinea.
How it looks on Mercator4.4×Looks larger on a Mercator map: Sweden.
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 6° (Papua New Guinea) and 62° (Sweden) from the equator. On a Mercator map their area ratio is 4.4 : 1, while in reality it is 1.06 : 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 Papua New Guinea and Sweden 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.