Finland on five projections
Finland covers 339,089 km² of ground. Mercator draws it 5.46 times over. Area and shape readings on all five projections, each one measured.
Two almost exact twins
Finland covers 339,089 km². The Republic of the Congo is 1.006 times that, and Malaysia 1.002 - inside a fifth of a percent, among the closest pairs in the catalogue. Three countries, effectively the same amount of ground.
The map says otherwise
Finland's anchor is at 64.3° N, where Mercator inflates it 5.46 times. Malaysia's is at 3.8° N, where it inflates almost nothing. Three equal areas, and on that map one is over five times another. It needs no explanation, only a drag.
This object
- True area
- 339,089 km²
- Anchor latitude
- 64.3° N
- Angular radius
- 5.9°
- Draggable latitude range
- -80.9° … 79.2°
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 | 2.33 | 2.30 |
| Mercator | 5.46 | 1.00 constant |
| Natural Earth | 1.62 | 1.81 |
| Equal Earth | 1.00 constant | 2.08 |
| Gall-Peters | 1.00 constant | 2.65 |
Mercator inflates it most, 5.46 times over. Gall-Peters stretches it most: its long axis is 2.65 times its short one.
The same size, drawn otherwise
These are within 5 percent of Finland'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.
- Republic of the Congo: Republic of the Congo covers 341,198 km²; this covers 339,089. They sit 63 degrees apart in latitude, and Mercator draws one 5.30 times the other.
- Malaysia: Malaysia covers 339,751 km²; this covers 339,089. They sit 62 degrees apart in latitude, and Mercator draws one 5.29 times the other.
- Ivory Coast: Ivory Coast covers 331,233 km²; this covers 339,089. They sit 57 degrees apart in latitude, and Mercator draws one 5.21 times the other.
- Vietnam: Vietnam covers 337,139 km²; this covers 339,089. They sit 48 degrees apart in latitude, and Mercator draws one 4.86 times the other.
Bigger than the map admits
These cover more ground than Finland and Mercator draws them smaller anyway.
- Peru: Peru is truly 3.88 times larger, and Mercator still draws this one 1.33 times bigger.
- Chad: Chad is truly 3.76 times larger, and Mercator still draws this one 1.31 times bigger.
- Angola: Angola is truly 3.69 times larger, and Mercator still draws this one 1.37 times bigger.
- Mali: Mali is truly 3.65 times larger, and Mercator still draws this one 1.32 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 Finland across the latitude bands and the readout follows.