Asia · True size
🇮🇷 Iran
1.7×
Iran is drawn 1.7× smaller on the old map than it really is.
True area
1,622,871 km²
On the old map
1.7×
drawn smaller than true
Distortion rank
#70
of 176 · 1 = most inflated
Share of world land
1.21%
On the old map
Iran looks about the same size as Tanzania on the old map — it isn't.
Shapes above: Iran at the size the old map gives it, next to Tanzania's true size. Iran's real area is 1,622,871 km² — Tanzania is 945,795 km².
By area
Iran is big enough to fit Mongolia inside it, by area — 1,560,451 km² combined.
How many fit?
The United Kingdom fits inside Iran 6.8 times. United Arab Emirates fits inside Iran 23 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°. Iran's middle sits at 33°N, where the stretch is about 1.4×.
Area stretch on the old map at each latitude, equator to 80°. The number at the top of this page compares Iran's whole share of the old map with its real share of the world's land.