Czech Republic on five projections

Czech Republic covers 80,958 km² of ground. Mercator draws it 2.40 times over. Area and shape readings on all five projections, each one measured.

This object

True area
80,958 km²
Anchor latitude
49.8° N
Angular radius
2.3°
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?

ProjectionArea distortionShape distortion
Equirectangular1.551.55
Mercator2.401.00 constant
Natural Earth1.321.22
Equal Earth1.00 constant1.24
Gall-Peters1.00 constant1.20

Mercator inflates it most, 2.40 times over. Equirectangular stretches it most: its long axis is 1.55 times its short one.

The same size, drawn otherwise

These are within 5 percent of Czech Republic'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.

  • United Arab Emirates: United Arab Emirates covers 80,183 km²; this covers 80,958. They sit 26 degrees apart in latitude, and Mercator draws one 2.01 times the other.

Bigger than the map admits

These cover more ground than Czech Republic and Mercator draws them smaller anyway.

  • Cambodia: Cambodia is truly 2.26 times larger, and Mercator still draws this one 1.01 times bigger.
  • Somaliland: Somaliland is truly 2.08 times larger, and Mercator still draws this one 1.12 times bigger.
  • Suriname: Suriname is truly 1.79 times larger, and Mercator still draws this one 1.33 times bigger.
  • Bangladesh: Bangladesh is truly 1.66 times larger, and Mercator still draws this one 1.21 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 Czech Republic across the latitude bands and the readout follows.