Both maps below show Austria highlighted. The old Mercator map (1569) inflates Austria about 2.2× at 48°, and the new Equal Earth map shows it at its true 83,878 km². Pan or zoom either map and the other follows, so the difference is visible at every scale.
That 2.2× inflation is why Austria dominated old schoolbook maps and maps of the world's great powers. Hover Austria on either map to highlight it on both at once, then compare it with Greenland.
Austria: key figures
| True area | On the old Mercator map | Distortion vs truth |
|---|
| Austria | 83,878 km² | 184,423 km² | 2.2× |
| Greenland | 2,166,086 km² | 25,576,494 km² | 11.8× |
| Africa | 30,370,000 km² | n/a | n/a |
Old maps drew Austria at about 184,423 km². The truth is 83,878 km², a difference of 120% that school atlases carried for centuries.