Austria on five projections
Austria covers 84,838 km² of ground. Mercator draws it 2.20 times over. Area and shape readings on all five projections, each one measured.
This object
- True area
- 84,838 km²
- Anchor latitude
- 47.6° N
- Angular radius
- 3.1°
- Draggable latitude range
- -83.9° … 83.7°
On five projections
Each number is measured against its own projection's equator, not against another projection. These five rows do not share an axis - they are five answers to the same question: what did this map give up to lay this place flat?
| Projection | Area distortion | Shape distortion |
|---|---|---|
| Equirectangular | 1.48 | 1.48 |
| Mercator | 2.20 | 1.00 constant |
| Natural Earth | 1.29 | 1.18 |
| Equal Earth | 1.00 constant | 1.18 |
| Gall-Peters | 1.00 constant | 1.10 |
Mercator inflates it most, 2.20 times over. Equirectangular stretches it most: its long axis is 1.48 times its short one.
The same size, drawn otherwise
Nothing in the catalogue is close to Austria's area at a far enough latitude to be worth the comparison.
Bigger than the map admits
These cover more ground than Austria and Mercator draws them smaller anyway.
- Somaliland: Somaliland is truly 1.98 times larger, and Mercator still draws this one 1.08 times bigger.
- Suriname: Suriname is truly 1.71 times larger, and Mercator still draws this one 1.28 times bigger.
- Bangladesh: Bangladesh is truly 1.58 times larger, and Mercator still draws this one 1.17 times bigger.
- Nicaragua: Nicaragua is truly 1.53 times larger, and Mercator still draws this one 1.37 times bigger.
On an equal-area projection this section is empty, for every object there is. An equal-area map draws in proportion to true area, so it cannot draw a larger thing smaller. That is a definition, not a coincidence.
Open it in the tool
Drag Austria across the latitude bands and the readout follows.