Europe · True size
🇬🇧 the United Kingdom
1.2×
the United Kingdom looks 1.2× bigger on the old map than it really is.
True area
239,619 km²
On the old map
1.2×
drawn bigger than true
Distortion rank
#12
of 176 · 1 = most inflated
Share of world land
0.18%
On the old map
the United Kingdom looks about the same size as the Philippines on the old map — it isn't.
Shapes above: the United Kingdom at the size the old map gives it, next to the Philippines's true size. the United Kingdom's real area is 239,619 km² — the Philippines is 290,322 km².
By area
the United Kingdom would fit inside New Zealand, the Philippines and Italy, by area.
How many fit?
United Arab Emirates fits inside the United Kingdom 3.4 times. South Korea fits inside the United Kingdom 2.5 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°. The United Kingdom's middle sits at 54°N, where the stretch is about 2.9×.
Area stretch on the old map at each latitude, equator to 80°. The number at the top of this page compares the United Kingdom's whole share of the old map with its real share of the world's land.
Nearby