Both maps below show Macao highlighted. The old Mercator map (1569) inflates Macao about 1.2× at 22°, and the new Equal Earth map shows it at its true 33 km². Pan or zoom either map and the other follows, so the difference is visible at every scale.
That 1.2× inflation is why Macao dominated old schoolbook maps and maps of the world's great powers. Hover Macao on either map to highlight it on both at once, then compare it with Greenland.
Macao: key figures
| True area | On the old Mercator map | Distortion vs truth |
|---|
| Macao | 33 km² | 39 km² | 1.2× |
| Greenland | 2,166,086 km² | 25,576,494 km² | 11.8× |
| Africa | 30,370,000 km² | n/a | n/a |
Old maps drew Macao at about 39 km². The truth is 33 km², a difference of 17% that school atlases carried for centuries.