Both maps below show Poland highlighted. The old Mercator map (1569) inflates Poland about 2.7× at 52°, and the new Equal Earth map shows it at its true 312,685 km². Pan or zoom either map and the other follows, so the difference is visible at every scale.
That 2.7× inflation is why Poland dominated old schoolbook maps and maps of the world's great powers. Hover Poland on either map to highlight it on both at once, then compare it with Greenland.
Poland: key figures
| True area | On the old Mercator map | Distortion vs truth |
|---|
| Poland | 312,685 km² | 829,084 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 Poland at about 829,084 km². The truth is 312,685 km², a difference of 165% that school atlases carried for centuries.