About ResizeEarth

ResizeEarth is an interactive tool designed to show the true size of countries, avoiding the distortions common in traditional maps.

The Problem with Maps (Projections)

Most online maps (like Google Maps) use the Web Mercator projection. While great for navigation, it severely distorts size as you move away from the equator.

This distortion makes countries near the poles (like Greenland, Canada, Russia) look much larger than they actually are. For example, on a Mercator map, Greenland looks roughly the same size as Africa. In reality, Africa is about 14 times larger than Greenland!

Mercator vs Equal Earth

We use the Equal Earth projection overlay and geodetic calculations to visualize the true surface area of countries. When you select a country and drag it around the map, we preserve its actual geographic area, allowing for direct, fair comparisons.

Features

  • True Size Comparison: Drag countries to the equator to see their real size.
  • Distortion Meter: See exactly how much a country is exaggerated on standard maps.
  • Multi-Country Support: detailed boundaries for 182+ countries.

Technology

Built with Next.js 15, MapLibre GL JS, and D3-geo. The source code is open to contributions.

Ready to explore?

Go back to the map and start comparing.

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