Both maps below show Latvia highlighted. The old Mercator map (1569) inflates Latvia about 3.3× at 57°, and the new Equal Earth map shows it at its true 64,594 km². Pan or zoom either map and the other follows, so the difference is visible at every scale.
That 3.3× inflation is why Latvia dominated old schoolbook maps and maps of the world's great powers. Hover Latvia on either map to highlight it on both at once, then compare it with Greenland.
Latvia: key figures
| True area | On the old Mercator map | Distortion vs truth |
|---|
| Latvia | 64,594 km² | 216,125 km² | 3.3× |
| Greenland | 2,166,086 km² | 25,576,494 km² | 11.8× |
| Africa | 30,370,000 km² | n/a | n/a |
Old maps drew Latvia at about 216,125 km². The truth is 64,594 km², a difference of 235% that school atlases carried for centuries.