North America · True size
🇺🇸 the United States
1.1×
the United States is drawn 1.1× smaller on the old map than it really is.
True area
9,439,564 km²
* commonly cited: 9,833,520 km²
On the old map
1.1×
drawn smaller than true
Distortion rank
#25
of 176 · 1 = most inflated
Share of world land
7.03%
On the old map
the United States looks about the same size as China on the old map — it isn't.
Shapes above: the United States at the size the old map gives it, next to China's true size. the United States's real area is 9,439,564 km² — China is 9,371,364 km².
By area
the United States is big enough to fit China inside it, by area — 9,371,364 km² combined.
the United States would fit inside Canada and Russia, by area.
How many fit?
The United Kingdom fits inside the United States 39 times. United Arab Emirates fits inside the United States 132 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 States's middle sits at 45°N, where the stretch is about 2.0×.
Area stretch on the old map at each latitude, equator to 80°. The number at the top of this page compares the United States's whole share of the old map with its real share of the world's land.