Both maps below show Finland highlighted. The old Mercator map (1569) inflates Finland about 5.3× at 64°, and the new Equal Earth map shows it at its true 338,145 km². Pan or zoom either map and the other follows, so the difference is visible at every scale.
That 5.3× inflation is why Finland dominated old schoolbook maps and maps of the world's great powers. Hover Finland on either map to highlight it on both at once, then compare it with Greenland.
Finland: key figures
| True area | On the old Mercator map | Distortion vs truth |
|---|
| Finland | 338,145 km² | 1,792,236 km² | 5.3× |
| Greenland | 2,166,086 km² | 25,576,494 km² | 11.8× |
| Africa | 30,370,000 km² | n/a | n/a |
Old maps drew Finland at about 1,792,236 km². The truth is 338,145 km², a difference of 430% that school atlases carried for centuries.