Both maps below show Ukraine highlighted. The old Mercator map (1569) inflates Ukraine about 2.3× at 49°, and the new Equal Earth map shows it at its true 603,550 km². Pan or zoom either map and the other follows, so the difference is visible at every scale.
That 2.3× inflation is why Ukraine dominated old schoolbook maps and maps of the world's great powers. Hover Ukraine on either map to highlight it on both at once, then compare it with Greenland.
Ukraine: key figures
| True area | On the old Mercator map | Distortion vs truth |
|---|
| Ukraine | 603,550 km² | 1,413,333 km² | 2.3× |
| Greenland | 2,166,086 km² | 25,576,494 km² | 11.8× |
| Africa | 30,370,000 km² | n/a | n/a |
Old maps drew Ukraine at about 1,413,333 km². The truth is 603,550 km², a difference of 134% that school atlases carried for centuries.