Which is bigger: South Africa or Colombia?

South Africa is larger (1,221,037 km²) — about 1.1 times the size of Colombia (1,141,748 km²).

Why do South Africa and Colombia look different on the map than in reality?

The common Mercator projection enlarges areas the farther they lie from the equator, so the on-map size proportions of South Africa and Colombia are distorted compared to their true land area.

02Act II · 1:1 studioChange pair ↙

South Africa×Colombia

Put South Africa and Colombia on the same scale. Drag, separate, and see what the Mercator map hides.

Reverse order ⇄

True-size comparison

Same scale. Real difference.

Drag the outlines to overlap them, or place them side by side.

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South Africa ↗

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Total surface area1,221,037 km²ed. 2024

Population64,747,3192025

Land area1,213,090 km²2023

TypeCountry

Colombia ↗

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Total surface area1,141,748 km²ed. 2024

Population53,425,6352025

Land area1,109,500 km²2023

TypeCountry