Mexico: old map vs new map

Both maps below show Mexico highlighted. The old Mercator map (1569) inflates Mexico about 1.2× at 24°, and the new Equal Earth map shows it at its true 1,964,375 km². Pan or zoom either map and the other follows, so the difference is visible at every scale.

That 1.2× inflation is why Mexico dominated old schoolbook maps and maps of the world's great powers. Hover Mexico on either map to highlight it on both at once, then compare it with Greenland.

Mexico: key figures

	True area	On the old Mercator map	Distortion vs truth
Mexico	1,964,375 km²	2,350,964 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 Mexico at about 2,350,964 km². The truth is 1,964,375 km², a difference of 20% that school atlases carried for centuries.

Mexico vs Greenland: old map vs new map →North America on the old map vs the new map →Mexico country page: true area, rank and comparisons →The old world map vs the new world map →