South Africa on five projections
South Africa covers 1,217,946 km² of ground. Mercator draws it 1.31 times over. Area and shape readings on all five projections, each one measured.
This object
- True area
- 1,217,946 km²
- Anchor latitude
- 28.9° S
- Angular radius
- 8.6°
- Draggable latitude range
- -80.0° … 79.7°
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 | 1.14 | 1.14 |
| Mercator | 1.31 | 1.00 constant |
| Natural Earth | 1.11 | 1.09 |
| Equal Earth | 1.00 constant | 1.20 |
| Gall-Peters | 1.00 constant | 1.53 |
Mercator inflates it most, 1.31 times over. Gall-Peters stretches it most: its long axis is 1.53 times its short one.
The same size, drawn otherwise
These are within 5 percent of South Africa'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.
- Angola: Angola covers 1,249,862 km²; this covers 1,217,946. They sit 17 degrees apart in latitude, and Mercator draws one 1.25 times the other.
Bigger than the map admits
These cover more ground than South Africa and Mercator draws them smaller anyway.
- Peru: Peru is truly 1.08 times larger, and Mercator still draws this one 1.18 times bigger.
- Chad: Chad is truly 1.05 times larger, and Mercator still draws this one 1.16 times bigger.
- Angola: Angola is truly 1.03 times larger, and Mercator still draws this one 1.21 times bigger.
- Mali: Mali is truly 1.02 times larger, and Mercator still draws this one 1.17 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 South Africa across the latitude bands and the readout follows.