Asia vs Greenland: old map vs new map

At true size, Asia is about 20.6× the size of Greenland. On the old 1569 Mercator map the same two appear about 1.7× apart. The old map distorts their difference by a factor of 11.8×.

It is a latitude illusion: Greenland sits near 73°, where Mercator multiplies area by about 11.8×, while Asia lies near 10°, inflated only about 1.00×. Equal Earth removes that latitude tax, and the pair settles at its honest 20.6×.

Asia vs Greenland: distortion table

Measure	Asia	Greenland
True area	44,580,000 km²	2,166,086 km²
Apparent on Mercator	n/a	25,576,494 km²
Shown as	1.7×	1×

Greenland on the old map vs the new map →Asia vs Greenland: true size comparison →The old world map vs the new world map →Africa vs Greenland: old map vs new map →Greenland vs Indonesia: old map vs new map →Greenland vs Peru: old map vs new map →