Both maps below show Australia highlighted. The old Mercator map (1569) inflates Australia about 1.2× at 26°, and the new Equal Earth map shows it at its true 7,741,220 km². Pan or zoom either map and the other follows, so the difference is visible at every scale.
That 1.2× inflation is why Australia dominated old schoolbook maps and maps of the world's great powers. Hover Australia on either map to highlight it on both at once, then compare it with Greenland.
Australia: key figures
| True area | On the old Mercator map | Distortion vs truth |
|---|
| Australia | 7,741,220 km² | 9,544,924 km² | 1.2× |
| Greenland | 2,166,086 km² | 25,576,494 km² | 11.8× |
| Africa | 30,370,000 km² | n/a | n/a |
Old maps drew Australia at about 9,544,924 km². The truth is 7,741,220 km², a difference of 23% that school atlases carried for centuries.