Click a country on the map to add its outline.Tap a country on the map to add its outline.
This map lets you select countries and US states: Texas, Alaska and California. Switch projections and drag their outlines around the world. A moved country keeps its true area and shape on the globe, so any change in its size on the map shows only the distortion of the chosen projection.
On the Mercator map, the area scale grows with distance from the equator as 1/cos² of the latitude. The table shows how many times Mercator enlarges area at selected latitudes.
That is why Greenland looks similar in size to Africa on a Mercator map, although Africa is about 14 times larger. Drag Greenland to the equator to see its true proportions.
| Latitude | Area enlargement |
|---|---|
| 0° (equator) | 1.0× |
| 30° | 1.3× |
| 45° | 2.0× |
| 60° | 4.0× |
| 70° | 8.5× |
| 80° | 33.2× |
The values describe the area scale at a single point. A country spanning many latitudes is enlarged unevenly.
These projections preserve area proportions everywhere on the map, so a moved country neither grows nor shrinks, and Tissot's indicatrices all have the same area. Only shapes are distorted. You will find these maps below.
Yes. Search for a state and drag its outline just like a country. Total areas according to the Census Bureau (2010): Texas: 695,662 km²; Alaska: 1,723,337 km²; California: 423,967 km². Figures include land and water; coastal outlines do not include all water categories counted in the statistics.
Area proportions are preserved by equal-area projections, for example: Gall-Peters projection, Mollweide projection, Equal Earth projection. Shapes on them are distorted, however, especially near the edges of the map.
Web Mercator preserves local angles, so streets and junctions keep their correct shape at every zoom level. The price is a strong enlargement of areas far from the equator.
