Africa · True size
🇲🇼 Malawi
2.3×
Malawi is drawn 2.3× smaller on the old map than it really is.
True area
119,765 km²
On the old map
2.3×
drawn smaller than true
Distortion rank
#130
of 176 · 1 = most inflated
Share of world land
0.09%
On the old map
Malawi looks about the same size as Bosnia and Herzegovina on the old map — it isn't.
Shapes above: Malawi at the size the old map gives it, next to Bosnia and Herzegovina's true size. Malawi's real area is 119,765 km² — Bosnia and Herzegovina is 51,691 km².
By area
Malawi would fit inside the United Kingdom, New Zealand and the Philippines, by area.
How many fit?
United Arab Emirates fits inside Malawi 1.7 times. The Netherlands fits inside Malawi 3.2 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°. Malawi's middle sits at 13°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 Malawi's whole share of the old map with its real share of the world's land.