North America: old map vs new map

Both maps below highlight every country of North America. The old Mercator map (1569) inflates area with latitude, so North America'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 North America is extreme: Greenland is inflated about 11.8× on the old map, while Panama, near the equator, is drawn almost honestly. That is why old world maps made North America's far-north members look dominant.

North America: old map vs new map, largest countries

Country	True area	On the old map	Distortion
Canada	9,984,670 km²	40,968,099 km²	4.1×
United States	9,525,067 km²	18,881,540 km²	2×
Greenland	2,166,086 km²	25,576,494 km²	11.8×
Mexico	1,964,375 km²	2,350,964 km²	1.2×
Nicaragua	130,373 km²	137,152 km²	1.1×
Honduras	112,492 km²	120,378 km²	1.1×

Every country of North America 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.

North America at its true size: countries, area and rankings →The old world map vs the new world map →

Largest countries in North America: old map vs new map

Canada · United States · Greenland · Mexico · Nicaragua · Honduras · Cuba · Guatemala