Africa · True size
🇲🇬 Madagascar
2.1×
Madagascar is drawn 2.1× smaller on the old map than it really is.
True area
594,630 km²
On the old map
2.1×
drawn smaller than true
Distortion rank
#103
of 176 · 1 = most inflated
Share of world land
0.44%
On the old map
Madagascar looks about the same size as Burkina Faso on the old map — it isn't.
Shapes above: Madagascar at the size the old map gives it, next to Burkina Faso's true size. Madagascar's real area is 594,630 km² — Burkina Faso is 273,694 km².
By area
Madagascar is big enough to fit Morocco inside it, by area — 582,386 km² combined.
Madagascar would fit inside Kenya, France and Chile, by area.
How many fit?
The United Kingdom fits inside Madagascar 2.5 times. United Arab Emirates fits inside Madagascar 8.3 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°. Madagascar's middle sits at 19°S, where the stretch is about 1.1×.
Area stretch on the old map at each latitude, equator to 80°. The number at the top of this page compares Madagascar's whole share of the old map with its real share of the world's land.