Africa · True size
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
2.2×
Zimbabwe is drawn 2.2× smaller on the old map than it really is.
True area
390,208 km²
On the old map
2.2×
drawn smaller than true
Distortion rank
#104
of 176 · 1 = most inflated
Share of world land
0.29%
On the old map
Zimbabwe looks about the same size as Cambodia on the old map — it isn't.
Shapes above: Zimbabwe at the size the old map gives it, next to Cambodia's true size. Zimbabwe's real area is 390,208 km² — Cambodia is 181,376 km².
By area
Zimbabwe is big enough to fit Norway inside it, by area — 384,269 km² combined.
Zimbabwe would fit inside Sweden, Somalia and Spain, by area.
How many fit?
The United Kingdom fits inside Zimbabwe 1.6 times. United Arab Emirates fits inside Zimbabwe 5.5 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°. Zimbabwe's middle sits at 19°S, where the stretch is about 1.1×.
Area stretch on the old map at each latitude, equator to 80°. The number at the top of this page compares Zimbabwe's whole share of the old map with its real share of the world's land.