Question 1

Why does Greenland look bigger than Africa on most maps?

Accepted Answer

Greenland appears larger than Africa due to the Mercator projection, which distorts sizes near the poles. In reality, Africa is 14 times larger than Greenland! Africa covers 30.3 million km² while Greenland is only 2.2 million km².

Question 2

What is the real size of Russia compared to Africa?

Accepted Answer

Russia is 17.1 million km² while Africa is 30.3 million km². Africa is actually 1.77 times larger than Russia, despite how maps often make Russia appear enormous.

Question 3

How does the Mercator projection distort country sizes?

Accepted Answer

The Mercator projection preserves angles for navigation but increasingly distorts area as you move away from the equator. Countries near poles appear up to 10x larger than their true size relative to equatorial countries.

Question 4

Is Alaska really bigger than Texas?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Alaska is 1.72 million km² while Texas is 695,662 km². Alaska is about 2.5 times larger than Texas, making it by far the largest U.S. state.

Question 5

What's the true size of Australia compared to the United States?

Accepted Answer

Australia (7.69 million km²) is slightly smaller than the contiguous United States (8.08 million km²). However, Australia is larger than the lower 48 states if you exclude Alaska.

Question 6

Why do we still use distorted map projections?

Accepted Answer

Different projections serve different purposes. Mercator is excellent for navigation because it preserves angles. Other projections like Robinson or Winkel Tripel balance distortions better for general reference.

Question 7

What is the most accurate world map projection?

Accepted Answer

No flat map can perfectly represent Earth's spherical surface. The AuthaGraph and Equal Earth projections minimize area distortion, while the Winkel Tripel (used by National Geographic) balances various distortions well.

Question 8

How big is Brazil compared to the United States?

Accepted Answer

Brazil (8.51 million km²) is slightly smaller than the United States including Alaska (9.83 million km²), but larger than the contiguous United States alone.

Question 9

Is Europe really smaller than it appears on maps?

Accepted Answer

Yes, Europe appears larger on Mercator maps due to its northern latitude. Europe is actually only 10.18 million km², making it smaller than countries like Brazil, China, or the United States.

Question 10

What's the actual size of Antarctica?

Accepted Answer

Antarctica is 14.2 million km², making it the 5th largest continent. While huge, it appears even more massive on most maps due to extreme polar distortion.

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