Asia · True size
🇨🇳 China
1.5×
China is drawn 1.5× smaller on the old map than it really is.
True area
9,371,364 km²
On the old map
1.5×
drawn smaller than true
Distortion rank
#59
of 176 · 1 = most inflated
Share of world land
6.98%
On the old map
China looks about the same size as Australia on the old map — it isn't.
Shapes above: China at the size the old map gives it, next to Australia's true size. China's real area is 9,371,364 km² — Australia is 7,706,123 km².
By area
China is big enough to fit Brazil and Turkey inside it, by area — 9,279,334 km² combined.
China would fit inside the United States, Canada and Russia, by area.
How many fit?
The United Kingdom fits inside China 39 times. United Arab Emirates fits inside China 131 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°. China's middle sits at 37°N, where the stretch is about 1.6×.
Area stretch on the old map at each latitude, equator to 80°. The number at the top of this page compares China's whole share of the old map with its real share of the world's land.