Europe · True size
🇲🇰 North Macedonia
1.3×
North Macedonia is drawn 1.3× smaller on the old map than it really is.
True area
25,366 km²
On the old map
1.3×
drawn smaller than true
Distortion rank
#45
of 176 · 1 = most inflated
Share of world land
0.02%
On the old map
North Macedonia looks about the same size as New Caledonia on the old map — it isn't.
Shapes above: North Macedonia at the size the old map gives it, next to New Caledonia's true size. North Macedonia's real area is 25,366 km² — New Caledonia is 18,649 km².
By area
North Macedonia would fit inside the United Kingdom, New Zealand and the Philippines, by area.
How many fit?
Qatar fits inside North Macedonia 2.3 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°. North Macedonia's middle sits at 42°N, where the stretch is about 1.8×.
Area stretch on the old map at each latitude, equator to 80°. The number at the top of this page compares North Macedonia's whole share of the old map with its real share of the world's land.