Madagascar is larger: 587,041 km² versus 244,376 km² for the United Kingdom, about 2.4 times the area.
Both areas at the same scale: United Kingdom and Madagascar. Drag the outlines, separate them and see what the Mercator map hides.
Drag the outlines to overlap them, or place them side by side.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The figure includes Northern Ireland, not just the island of Great Britain.
Area source: UN Demographic Yearbook 2024, Table 3
Area source: UN Demographic Yearbook 2024, Table 3
True area tells a different story than the Mercator map.
The Mercator projection enlarges areas more and more the farther they lie from the equator. The centers of the two areas lie about 54° (United Kingdom) and 19° (Madagascar) from the equator. An estimate based on each center’s latitude gives an area ratio of 1.07 : 1, compared with the real ratio of 2.4 : 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 ↗
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.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The figure includes Northern Ireland, not just the island of Great Britain.
