At true size, Greenland is about 0.9× the size of Democratic Republic of the Congo. On the old 1569 Mercator map the same two appear about 10.9× apart — the old map exaggerates 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo lies near 3°, inflated only about 1×. Equal Earth removes that latitude tax, and the pair settles at its honest 0.9×.