Europe · True size
🇮🇸 Iceland
2.3×
Iceland looks 2.3× bigger on the old map than it really is.
True area
101,162 km²
On the old map
2.3×
drawn bigger than true
Distortion rank
#3
of 176 · 1 = most inflated
Share of world land
0.08%
On the old map
Iceland looks about the same size as Romania on the old map — it isn't.
Shapes above: Iceland at the size the old map gives it, next to Romania's true size. Iceland's real area is 101,162 km² — Romania is 235,756 km².
By area
Iceland would fit inside the United Kingdom, New Zealand and the Philippines, by area.
How many fit?
The Netherlands fits inside Iceland 2.7 times. Israel fits inside Iceland 4.5 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°. Iceland's middle sits at 65°N, where the stretch is about 5.6×.
Area stretch on the old map at each latitude, equator to 80°. The number at the top of this page compares Iceland's whole share of the old map with its real share of the world's land.