Europe · True size
🇫🇷 France
1.2×
France is drawn 1.2× smaller on the old map than it really is.
True area
635,073 km²
On the old map
1.2×
drawn smaller than true
Distortion rank
#35
of 176 · 1 = most inflated
Share of world land
0.47%
On the old map
France looks about the same size as Thailand on the old map — it isn't.
Shapes above: France at the size the old map gives it, next to Thailand's true size. France's real area is 635,073 km² — Thailand is 515,728 km².
By area
France is big enough to fit Kenya inside it, by area — 594,857 km² combined.
France would fit inside Chile, Turkey and Pakistan, by area.
How many fit?
The United Kingdom fits inside France 2.7 times. United Arab Emirates fits inside France 8.9 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°. France's middle sits at 43°N, where the stretch is about 1.9×.
Area stretch on the old map at each latitude, equator to 80°. The number at the top of this page compares France's whole share of the old map with its real share of the world's land.