Africa · True size
🏳️ Somaliland
2.3×
Somaliland is drawn 2.3× smaller on the old map than it really is.
True area
168,486 km²
On the old map
2.3×
drawn smaller than true
Distortion rank
#143
of 176 · 1 = most inflated
Share of world land
0.13%
On the old map
Somaliland looks about the same size as Sierra Leone on the old map — it isn't.
Shapes above: Somaliland at the size the old map gives it, next to Sierra Leone's true size. Somaliland's real area is 168,486 km² — Sierra Leone is 71,878 km².
By area
Somaliland would fit inside the United Kingdom, New Zealand and the Philippines, by area.
How many fit?
United Arab Emirates fits inside Somaliland 2.4 times. South Korea fits inside Somaliland 1.7 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°. Somaliland's middle sits at 10°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 Somaliland's whole share of the old map with its real share of the world's land.