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02Act II · 1:1 studio

Which is bigger: Vanuatu or Poland?

Poland is larger: 312,679 km² versus 12,190 km² for Vanuatu, about 26 times the area.

Both areas at the same scale: Vanuatu and Poland. 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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03 · Verdict

What the map gets wrong

True area tells a different story than the Mercator map.

True area ratio25.7×Larger in reality: Poland.
Mercator: estimate at the area’s center62.7×Looks larger on a Mercator map: Poland.
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 16° (Vanuatu) and 52° (Poland) from the equator. An estimate based on each center’s latitude gives an area ratio of 62.7 : 1, compared with the real ratio of 25.7 : 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 ↗

Compare dynamically on map ↗Back to comparison tool ＋

Why do Vanuatu and Poland 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.