Sao Tome and Principe ↗
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Total surface area964 km²ed. 2024
Population240,2542025
Land area960 km²2023
TypeCountry
Area source: UN Demographic Yearbook 2024, Table 3
02Act II · 1:1 studio
Which is bigger: Sao Tome and Principe or Kiribati?
Sao Tome and Principe is larger: 964 km² versus 810 km² for Kiribati, or about 19% more.
Both areas at the same scale: Sao Tome and Principe and Kiribati. 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.
Kiribati ↗
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Total surface area810 km²2023
Population136,4882025
Land area810 km²2023
TypeCountry
Area source: World Bank / FAO: surface area
03 · Verdict
What the map gets wrong
True area tells a different story than the Mercator map.
True area ratio1.2×Larger in reality: Sao Tome and Principe.
Mercator: estimate at the area’s center1.2×Looks larger on a Mercator map: Sao Tome and Principe.
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 0° (Sao Tome and Principe) and 1° (Kiribati) from the equator. An estimate based on each center’s latitude gives an area ratio of 1.2 : 1, compared with the real ratio of 1.2 : 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 ↗
Why do Sao Tome and Principe and Kiribati 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.