Oceania · True size
🇳🇿 New Zealand
1.3×
New Zealand is drawn 1.3× smaller on the old map than it really is.
True area
266,832 km²
On the old map
1.3×
drawn smaller than true
Distortion rank
#43
of 176 · 1 = most inflated
Share of world land
0.20%
On the old map
New Zealand looks about the same size as Kyrgyzstan on the old map — it isn't.
Shapes above: New Zealand at the size the old map gives it, next to Kyrgyzstan's true size. New Zealand's real area is 266,832 km² — Kyrgyzstan is 198,664 km².
By area
New Zealand is big enough to fit United Kingdom inside it, by area — 239,619 km² combined.
New Zealand would fit inside the Philippines, Italy and Poland, by area.
How many fit?
United Arab Emirates fits inside New Zealand 3.7 times. South Korea fits inside New Zealand 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°. New Zealand's middle sits at 42°S, 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 New Zealand's whole share of the old map with its real share of the world's land.