Asia · True size
🇯🇵 Japan
1.5×
Japan is drawn 1.5× smaller on the old map than it really is.
True area
370,080 km²
On the old map
1.5×
drawn smaller than true
Distortion rank
#58
of 176 · 1 = most inflated
Share of world land
0.28%
On the old map
Japan looks about the same size as Guinea on the old map — it isn't.
Shapes above: Japan at the size the old map gives it, next to Guinea's true size. Japan's real area is 370,080 km² — Guinea is 244,941 km².
By area
Japan is big enough to fit Germany inside it, by area — 356,168 km² combined.
How many fit?
The United Kingdom fits inside Japan 1.5 times. United Arab Emirates fits inside Japan 5.2 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°. Japan'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 Japan's whole share of the old map with its real share of the world's land.