Both maps below show Guernsey highlighted. The old Mercator map (1569) inflates Guernsey about 2.4× at 50°, and the new Equal Earth map shows it at its true 78 km². Pan or zoom either map and the other follows, so the difference is visible at every scale.
That 2.4× inflation is why Guernsey dominated old schoolbook maps and maps of the world's great powers. Hover Guernsey on either map to highlight it on both at once, then compare it with Greenland.
Guernsey: key figures
| True area | On the old Mercator map | Distortion vs truth |
|---|
| Guernsey | 78 km² | 185 km² | 2.4× |
| Greenland | 2,166,086 km² | 25,576,494 km² | 11.8× |
| Africa | 30,370,000 km² | n/a | n/a |
Old maps drew Guernsey at about 185 km². The truth is 78 km², a difference of 137% that school atlases carried for centuries.