Africa · True size
🇧🇫 Burkina Faso
2.3×
Burkina Faso is drawn 2.3× smaller on the old map than it really is.
True area
273,694 km²
On the old map
2.3×
drawn smaller than true
Distortion rank
#135
of 176 · 1 = most inflated
Share of world land
0.20%
On the old map
Burkina Faso looks about the same size as Malawi on the old map — it isn't.
Shapes above: Burkina Faso at the size the old map gives it, next to Malawi's true size. Burkina Faso's real area is 273,694 km² — Malawi is 119,765 km².
By area
Burkina Faso is big enough to fit New Zealand inside it, by area — 266,832 km² combined.
Burkina Faso would fit inside the Philippines, Italy and Poland, by area.
How many fit?
United Arab Emirates fits inside Burkina Faso 3.8 times. South Korea fits inside Burkina Faso 2.8 times.
Why the old map gets it wrong
The old map stretches land more the further it is from the equator — twice the area at 45°, four times at 60°. Burkina Faso's middle sits at 12°N, where the stretch is about 1.0×.
Area stretch on the old map at each latitude, equator to 80°. The number at the top of this page compares Burkina Faso's whole share of the old map with its real share of the world's land.