Both maps below show Netherlands highlighted. The old Mercator map (1569) inflates Netherlands about 2.7× at 52°, and the new Equal Earth map shows it at its true 41,865 km². Pan or zoom either map and the other follows, so the difference is visible at every scale.
That 2.7× inflation is why Netherlands dominated old schoolbook maps and maps of the world's great powers. Hover Netherlands on either map to highlight it on both at once, then compare it with Greenland.
Netherlands: key figures
| True area | On the old Mercator map | Distortion vs truth |
|---|
| Netherlands | 41,865 km² | 111,579 km² | 2.7× |
| Greenland | 2,166,086 km² | 25,576,494 km² | 11.8× |
| Africa | 30,370,000 km² | n/a | n/a |
Old maps drew Netherlands at about 111,579 km². The truth is 41,865 km², a difference of 167% that school atlases carried for centuries.