Both maps below highlight every country of Asia. The old Mercator map (1569) inflates area with latitude, so Asia's northern countries swell while equatorial ones shrink; the new Equal Earth map draws all of them at their true size. Pan or zoom either map, the other follows.
The distortion inside Asia is extreme: Kazakhstan is inflated about 2.3× on the old map, while Singapore, near the equator, is drawn almost honestly. That is why old world maps made Asia's far-north members look dominant.
Asia: old map vs new map, largest countries
| Country | True area | On the old map | Distortion |
|---|
| China | 9,596,960 km² | 14,925,192 km² | 1.6× |
| India | 3,287,263 km² | 3,866,807 km² | 1.2× |
| Kazakhstan | 2,724,910 km² | 6,172,466 km² | 2.3× |
| Saudi Arabia | 2,149,690 km² | 2,579,198 km² | 1.2× |
| Indonesia | 1,904,569 km² | 1,907,616 km² | 1.00× |
| Iran | 1,648,195 km² | 2,318,516 km² | 1.4× |
Every country of Asia appears highlighted on both maps. Hover any of them to see it on the old Mercator map and the new Equal Earth map at once.
Largest countries in Asia: old map vs new map
China · India · Kazakhstan · Saudi Arabia · Indonesia · Iran · Mongolia · Pakistan