Africa · True size
🇱🇸 Lesotho
1.8×
Lesotho is drawn 1.8× smaller on the old map than it really is.
True area
30,020 km²
On the old map
1.8×
drawn smaller than true
Distortion rank
#76
of 176 · 1 = most inflated
Share of world land
0.02%
On the old map
Lesotho looks about the same size as eSwatini on the old map — it isn't.
Shapes above: Lesotho at the size the old map gives it, next to eSwatini's true size. Lesotho's real area is 30,020 km² — eSwatini is 17,008 km².
By area
Lesotho would fit inside the United Kingdom, New Zealand and the Philippines, by area.
How many fit?
Qatar fits inside Lesotho 2.7 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°. Lesotho's middle sits at 30°S, where the stretch is about 1.3×.
Area stretch on the old map at each latitude, equator to 80°. The number at the top of this page compares Lesotho's whole share of the old map with its real share of the world's land.
Nearby