Both maps below show Switzerland highlighted. The old Mercator map (1569) inflates Switzerland about 2.1× at 47°, and the new Equal Earth map shows it at its true 41,291 km². Pan or zoom either map and the other follows, so the difference is visible at every scale.
That 2.1× inflation is why Switzerland dominated old schoolbook maps and maps of the world's great powers. Hover Switzerland on either map to highlight it on both at once, then compare it with Greenland.
Switzerland: key figures
| True area | On the old Mercator map | Distortion vs truth |
|---|
| Switzerland | 41,291 km² | 88,111 km² | 2.1× |
| Greenland | 2,166,086 km² | 25,576,494 km² | 11.8× |
| Africa | 30,370,000 km² | n/a | n/a |
Old maps drew Switzerland at about 88,111 km². The truth is 41,291 km², a difference of 113% that school atlases carried for centuries.