Both maps below show Russia highlighted. The old Mercator map (1569) inflates Russia about 6.1× at 66°, and the new Equal Earth map shows it at its true 17,098,246 km². Pan or zoom either map and the other follows, so the difference is visible at every scale.
That 6.1× inflation is why Russia dominated old schoolbook maps and maps of the world's great powers. Hover Russia on either map to highlight it on both at once, then compare it with Greenland.
Russia: key figures
| True area | On the old Mercator map | Distortion vs truth |
|---|
| Russia | 17,098,246 km² | 103,611,951 km² | 6.1× |
| Greenland | 2,166,086 km² | 25,576,494 km² | 11.8× |
| Africa | 30,370,000 km² | n/a | n/a |
Old maps drew Russia at about 103,611,951 km². The truth is 17,098,246 km², a difference of 506% that school atlases carried for centuries.