Both maps below show Sweden highlighted. The old Mercator map (1569) inflates Sweden about 4.7× at 62°, and the new Equal Earth map shows it at its true 450,295 km². Pan or zoom either map and the other follows, so the difference is visible at every scale.
That 4.7× inflation is why Sweden dominated old schoolbook maps and maps of the world's great powers. Hover Sweden on either map to highlight it on both at once, then compare it with Greenland.
Sweden: key figures
| True area | On the old Mercator map | Distortion vs truth |
|---|
| Sweden | 450,295 km² | 2,095,538 km² | 4.7× |
| Greenland | 2,166,086 km² | 25,576,494 km² | 11.8× |
| Africa | 30,370,000 km² | n/a | n/a |
Old maps drew Sweden at about 2,095,538 km². The truth is 450,295 km², a difference of 365% that school atlases carried for centuries.