Oceania: old map vs new map

Both maps below highlight every country of Oceania. The old Mercator map (1569) inflates area with latitude, so Oceania'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 Oceania is extreme: Heard Island and McDonald Islands is inflated about 2.8× on the old map, while Nauru, near the equator, is drawn almost honestly. That is why old world maps made Oceania's far-north members look dominant.

Oceania: old map vs new map, largest countries

Country	True area	On the old map	Distortion
Australia	7,741,220 km²	9,544,924 km²	1.2×
Papua New Guinea	462,840 km²	468,811 km²	1.01×
New Zealand	268,838 km²	482,268 km²	1.8×
Solomon Islands	28,896 km²	29,607 km²	1.02×
New Caledonia	18,575 km²	21,398 km²	1.2×
Fiji	18,272 km²	20,072 km²	1.1×

Every country of Oceania 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.

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

Largest countries in Oceania: old map vs new map

Australia · Papua New Guinea · New Zealand · Solomon Islands · New Caledonia · Fiji · Vanuatu · French Polynesia