Both maps below show Azerbaijan highlighted. The old Mercator map (1569) inflates Azerbaijan about 1.7× at 40°, and the new Equal Earth map shows it at its true 86,600 km². Pan or zoom either map and the other follows, so the difference is visible at every scale.
That 1.7× inflation is why Azerbaijan dominated old schoolbook maps and maps of the world's great powers. Hover Azerbaijan on either map to highlight it on both at once, then compare it with Greenland.
Azerbaijan: key figures
| True area | On the old Mercator map | Distortion vs truth |
|---|
| Azerbaijan | 86,600 km² | 148,822 km² | 1.7× |
| Greenland | 2,166,086 km² | 25,576,494 km² | 11.8× |
| Africa | 30,370,000 km² | n/a | n/a |
Old maps drew Azerbaijan at about 148,822 km². The truth is 86,600 km², a difference of 72% that school atlases carried for centuries.