Asia · True size
🇰🇵 North Korea
1.4×
North Korea is drawn 1.4× smaller on the old map than it really is.
True area
122,498 km²
On the old map
1.4×
drawn smaller than true
Distortion rank
#51
of 176 · 1 = most inflated
Share of world land
0.09%
On the old map
North Korea looks about the same size as Azerbaijan on the old map — it isn't.
Shapes above: North Korea at the size the old map gives it, next to Azerbaijan's true size. North Korea's real area is 122,498 km² — Azerbaijan is 86,401 km².
By area
North Korea would fit inside the United Kingdom, New Zealand and the Philippines, by area.
How many fit?
United Arab Emirates fits inside North Korea 1.7 times. The Netherlands fits inside North Korea 3.3 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 Korea's middle sits at 40°N, where the stretch is about 1.7×.
Area stretch on the old map at each latitude, equator to 80°. The number at the top of this page compares North Korea's whole share of the old map with its real share of the world's land.