Africa · True size
🇿🇦 South Africa
1.8×
South Africa is drawn 1.8× smaller on the old map than it really is.
True area
1,221,627 km²
On the old map
1.8×
drawn smaller than true
Distortion rank
#78
of 176 · 1 = most inflated
Share of world land
0.91%
On the old map
South Africa looks about the same size as Myanmar on the old map — it isn't.
Shapes above: South Africa at the size the old map gives it, next to Myanmar's true size. South Africa's real area is 1,221,627 km² — Myanmar is 662,756 km².
By area
South Africa is big enough to fit Colombia inside it, by area — 1,139,451 km² combined.
South Africa would fit inside Peru, Mongolia and Iran, by area.
How many fit?
The United Kingdom fits inside South Africa 5.1 times. United Arab Emirates fits inside South Africa 17 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°. South Africa's middle sits at 29°S, where the stretch is about 1.3×.
Area stretch on the old map at each latitude, equator to 80°. The number at the top of this page compares South Africa's whole share of the old map with its real share of the world's land.