Both maps below show Qatar highlighted. The old Mercator map (1569) inflates Qatar about 1.2× at 25°, and the new Equal Earth map shows it at its true 11,586 km². Pan or zoom either map and the other follows, so the difference is visible at every scale.
That 1.2× inflation is why Qatar dominated old schoolbook maps and maps of the world's great powers. Hover Qatar on either map to highlight it on both at once, then compare it with Greenland.
Qatar: key figures
| True area | On the old Mercator map | Distortion vs truth |
|---|
| Qatar | 11,586 km² | 14,175 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 Qatar at about 14,175 km². The truth is 11,586 km², a difference of 22% that school atlases carried for centuries.