Country map area comparisons
Wall maps can fool the eye. Compare the areas of sourced outlines and reset your sense of geography.
Finding a little perspective…
Inside Beyond the world map
Choose recognizable area comparisons that challenge map-projection intuition; use the territories included by the source.
Compare the filled outline, not map height
Countries and territories with different coastlines test your memory of world maps. Judge the filled area rather than the longest edge or the surrounding rectangle. A long island chain and a compact outline can create very different visual impressions, and map projections can also distort your starting intuition.
These answers describe the maps shown
This collection scores areas calculated from Natural Earth’s generalized outlines in an equal-area projection, including the mapped islands and holes. They are not precise surveyed or legal areas. The Geography topic offers a separate challenge using dated UN total surface-area figures, so its measurement basis is different.
Learn the references, then try again
Every reveal explains the measurement and links to its source. These five pairs keep the same order when you replay, with a separate best score for this collection saved in your browser.