Africa · True size
🇸🇱 Sierra Leone
2.4×
Sierra Leone is drawn 2.4× smaller on the old map than it really is.
True area
71,878 km²
On the old map
2.4×
drawn smaller than true
Distortion rank
#149
of 176 · 1 = most inflated
Share of world land
0.05%
On the old map
Sierra Leone looks about the same size as Belgium on the old map — it isn't.
Shapes above: Sierra Leone at the size the old map gives it, next to Belgium's true size. Sierra Leone's real area is 71,878 km² — Belgium is 30,628 km².
By area
Sierra Leone would fit inside the United Kingdom, New Zealand and the Philippines, by area.
How many fit?
The Netherlands fits inside Sierra Leone 1.9 times. Israel fits inside Sierra Leone 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°. Sierra Leone's middle sits at 9°N, where the stretch is about 1.0×.
Area stretch on the old map at each latitude, equator to 80°. The number at the top of this page compares Sierra Leone's whole share of the old map with its real share of the world's land.
Nearby