Both maps below show Vatican City highlighted. The old Mercator map (1569) inflates Vatican City about 1.8× at 42°, and the new Equal Earth map shows it at its true 0.44 km². Pan or zoom either map and the other follows, so the difference is visible at every scale.
That 1.8× inflation is why Vatican City dominated old schoolbook maps and maps of the world's great powers. Hover Vatican City on either map to highlight it on both at once, then compare it with Greenland.
Vatican City: key figures
| True area | On the old Mercator map | Distortion vs truth |
|---|
| Vatican City | 0.44 km² | 1 km² | 1.8× |
| Greenland | 2,166,086 km² | 25,576,494 km² | 11.8× |
| Africa | 30,370,000 km² | n/a | n/a |
Old maps drew Vatican City at about 1 km². The truth is 0.44 km², a difference of 81% that school atlases carried for centuries.