Chad on five projections
Chad covers 1,275,002 km² of ground. Mercator draws it 1.08 times over. Area and shape readings on all five projections, each one measured.
This object
- True area
- 1,275,002 km²
- Anchor latitude
- 15.3° N
- Angular radius
- 8.5°
- Draggable latitude range
- -77.6° … 77.6°
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 | 1.04 | 1.04 |
| Mercator | 1.08 | 1.00 constant |
| Natural Earth | 1.03 | 1.13 |
| Equal Earth | 1.00 constant | 1.30 |
| Gall-Peters | 1.00 constant | 1.86 |
Mercator inflates it most, 1.08 times over. Gall-Peters stretches it most: its long axis is 1.86 times its short one.
The same size, drawn otherwise
Nothing in the catalogue is close to Chad's area at a far enough latitude to be worth the comparison.
Bigger than the map admits
These cover more ground than Chad and Mercator draws them smaller anyway.
- Peru: Peru is truly 1.03 times larger, and Mercator still draws this one 1.02 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 Chad across the latitude bands and the readout follows.