Russia ↗
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Total surface area17,098,246 km²ed. 2024
Population143,513,3282025
Land area16,376,870 km²2023
TypeCountry
02Act II · 1:1 studioChange pair ↙
Which is bigger: Russia or Africa?
Africa is larger: 30,370,000 km² versus 17,098,246 km² for Russia, or about 78% more.
Both areas at the same scale: Russia and Africa. 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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Africa
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Total surface area30,370,000 km²
Population1,400,000,000
TypeContinent
03 · Verdict
What the map gets wrong
True area tells a different story than the Mercator map.
True area ratio1.8×Larger in reality: Africa.
How it looks on Mercator3.4×Looks larger on a Mercator map: Russia.
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 66° (Russia) and 6° (Africa) from the equator. On a Mercator map their area ratio is 3.4 : 1, while in reality it is 1.8 : 1.
Tip: You can also compare these items dynamically by clicking the link below and dragging them directly across the global interactive map.
At least one value represents a continent and comes from an older editorial dataset. Treat the result as an approximation. Read the methodology ↗
Why do Russia and Africa 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.