Move the comparison set
Drag any colored country anywhere on the map. The size updates based on its new latitude, just like Mercator does.
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Country Size Comparison
Brazil and the United States are both continental-scale countries. Compare them at true size and see how their map scale changes with latitude.
Drag any colored country anywhere on the map. The size updates based on its new latitude, just like Mercator does.
True Size Comparison
Brazil and the United States are both continental-scale countries. Compare them at true size and see how their map scale changes with latitude.
The United States is somewhat larger than Brazil by total area, while Brazil's lower latitude means it is less exaggerated on Mercator maps.
Use the interactive Mercator map above to move countries away from their original latitude. The shape is repositioned on the same projection so you can see how apparent scale changes in real time.
Traditional world maps often exaggerate high-latitude countries. A true size comparison makes the area relationship clearer than a static Mercator map.
Yes. Brazil is about 8.52 million square kilometers, compared with about 9.83 million square kilometers for the United States.
Mercator projection inflates high-latitude countries more than countries near the equator.