Asia · True size
🇮🇳 India
2.0×
India is drawn 2.0× smaller on the old map than it really is.
True area
3,155,854 km²
* commonly cited: 3,287,263 km²
On the old map
2.0×
drawn smaller than true
Distortion rank
#94
of 176 · 1 = most inflated
Share of world land
2.35%
On the old map
India looks about the same size as Mongolia on the old map — it isn't.
Shapes above: India at the size the old map gives it, next to Mongolia's true size. India's real area is 3,155,854 km² — Mongolia is 1,560,451 km².
By area
India is big enough to fit Argentina and Japan inside it, by area — 3,152,824 km² combined.
India would fit inside Australia, Brazil and China, by area.
How many fit?
The United Kingdom fits inside India 13 times. United Arab Emirates fits inside India 44 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°. India's middle sits at 23°N, where the stretch is about 1.2×.
Area stretch on the old map at each latitude, equator to 80°. The number at the top of this page compares India's whole share of the old map with its real share of the world's land.