Both maps below show Denmark highlighted. The old Mercator map (1569) inflates Denmark about 3.2× at 56°, and the new Equal Earth map shows it at its true 42,947 km². Pan or zoom either map and the other follows, so the difference is visible at every scale.
That 3.2× inflation is why Denmark dominated old schoolbook maps and maps of the world's great powers. Hover Denmark on either map to highlight it on both at once, then compare it with Greenland.
Denmark: key figures
| True area | On the old Mercator map | Distortion vs truth |
|---|
| Denmark | 42,947 km² | 137,168 km² | 3.2× |
| Greenland | 2,166,086 km² | 25,576,494 km² | 11.8× |
| Africa | 30,370,000 km² | n/a | n/a |
Old maps drew Denmark at about 137,168 km². The truth is 42,947 km², a difference of 219% that school atlases carried for centuries.