Bulgaria on five projections
Bulgaria covers 110,020 km² of ground. Mercator draws it 1.86 times over. Area and shape readings on all five projections, each one measured.
This object
- True area
- 110,020 km²
- Anchor latitude
- 42.8° N
- Angular radius
- 2.6°
- Draggable latitude range
- -83.5° … 83.8°
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 | 1.36 | 1.36 |
| Mercator | 1.86 | 1.00 constant |
| Natural Earth | 1.23 | 1.13 |
| Equal Earth | 1.00 constant | 1.14 |
| Gall-Peters | 1.00 constant | 1.08 |
Mercator inflates it most, 1.86 times over. Equirectangular stretches it most: its long axis is 1.36 times its short one.
The same size, drawn otherwise
These are within 5 percent of Bulgaria's true area, and sit at a very different latitude. It is a fact about the Earth, and it is interesting because most projections disagree with it.
- Malawi: Malawi covers 111,592 km²; this covers 110,020. They sit 30 degrees apart in latitude, and Mercator draws one 1.76 times the other.
- Honduras: Honduras covers 114,196 km²; this covers 110,020. They sit 28 degrees apart in latitude, and Mercator draws one 1.73 times the other.
- Guatemala: Guatemala covers 109,856 km²; this covers 110,020. They sit 27 degrees apart in latitude, and Mercator draws one 1.72 times the other.
- Iceland: Iceland covers 107,182 km²; this covers 110,020. They sit 22 degrees apart in latitude, and Mercator draws one 3.04 times the other.
Bigger than the map admits
These cover more ground than Bulgaria and Mercator draws them smaller anyway.
- Cambodia: Cambodia is truly 1.66 times larger, and Mercator still draws this one 1.06 times bigger.
- Somaliland: Somaliland is truly 1.53 times larger, and Mercator still draws this one 1.18 times bigger.
- Nepal: Nepal is truly 1.37 times larger, and Mercator still draws this one 1.05 times bigger.
- Suriname: Suriname is truly 1.32 times larger, and Mercator still draws this one 1.40 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 Bulgaria across the latitude bands and the readout follows.