The short answer
Africa is the second-largest continent on Earth with 29.9 million km² and is thus almost 1.8 times larger than Russia (17.0 million km²), the world’s largest country. On a Mercator world map – the representation found in school textbooks, news broadcasts, and every online map service – Russia takes up 2.5 times more map area than Africa.
Combined, this creates an optical impression that is off by a factor of 4.4 from reality. If you look at the world map and think Russia is more than twice as large as Africa, you are reading the map correctly – the map itself simply does not reflect the true size ratios. For context, see also the geographical location and the 54 states of the continent.
Why the world map makes Africa look smaller than it is
Mercator was never intended as a world map
Gerhard Mercator created his projection in 1569 for navigation. Its key advantage is angle preservation: a course with a constant compass bearing – a loxodrome – appears as a straight line on the map. This is invaluable for navigation, which is why the projection is still used in Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, and every web mapping service, there under the name “Web Mercator” (EPSG:3857).
The price: areas grow by 1/cos²(φ)
To preserve angles, the map must compensate for the east-west stretching toward the poles with the same stretching in the north-south direction. This causes the area to grow by the square of this factor, i.e., by 1 / cos²(φ). At the equator, this is 1, in Berlin (52.5° N) already 2.7, and in central Greenland (72° N) over 10.
This is not an error or ideology, but a mathematical necessity: according to Carl Friedrich Gauss’s Theorema egregium, a spherical surface cannot be unrolled into a plane without distortion. Every map must choose what it sacrifices – angles, areas, or distances. Mercator sacrifices area completely.
Africa is doubly affected: the continent lies almost symmetrically around the equator, from 37° North to 35° South. This means it is hardly inflated – and thus appears smaller compared to everything located far to the north.
Africa vs. Russia
The comparison in numbers: Africa has enough space for a second Russia – minus roughly the area of India. On the Mercator map, it looks exactly the opposite.
Africa vs. Greenland
The most famous case of Mercator distortion: Greenland measures 2.17 million km² and appears on the map to be slightly larger than Africa with 29.9 million km². In reality, the island could fit into the continent almost 14 times. Greenland lies between 60° and 83° North and is thus the most inflated landmass on Earth – factor 16.
7,500 kilometers across Africa
Not only does the area deceive, but also the extent. Africa measures from Dakar in Senegal to Cape Hafun in Somalia 7,479 km and from Ras ben Sakka in Tunisia to Cape Agulhas in South Africa 8,061 km. Russia, in a straight line from Kaliningrad to Cape Dezhnev, only spans 6,585 km – the great circle route passes close to the North Pole. Measured along the 60th parallel, it is 9,059 km.
The reason lies in the geometry of the sphere: One degree of longitude measures 111 km at the equator, 108 km at 14° North, only 56 km at 60° North, and just 45 km at 66° North. Although Russia spans 172 degrees of longitude, they are very short ones. Across the continent, there are very different landscapes – from the mountains in Africa to the great waters of Africa.
What could fit in Africa at the same time
China, the USA, Europe without Russia, India, Greenland, and Japan together add up to 28.6 million km² – less than Africa alone. Another way of looking at it: Africa is about 84 times the size of Germany and five times the size of Europe without Russia. Even the large national parks take up only a fraction of that.
All the numbers at a glance
The fourth column is the main point: it shows how much map area a region occupies on a Mercator world map – measured against Africa as 100%.
| Region | Area (million km²) | actual, Africa = 100 % | on Mercator, Africa = 100 % | Inflation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Africa (continent) | 29.89 | 100 % | 100 % | 1.11× |
| Russia | 16.97 | 57 % | 249 % | 4.88× |
| Canada | 9.92 | 33 % | 153 % | 5.12× |
| USA | 9.46 | 32 % | 65 % | 2.29× |
| China | 9.37 | 31 % | 45 % | 1.59× |
| Brazil | 8.47 | 28 % | 27 % | 1.06× |
| Australia | 7.69 | 26 % | 29 % | 1.25× |
| Europe without Russia | 5.99 | 20 % | 56 % | 3.10× |
| India | 3.15 | 11 % | 11 % | 1.19× |
| DR Congo | 2.32 | 8 % | 7 % | 1.01× |
| Greenland | 2.17 | 7 % | 106 % | 16.29× |
| Scandinavia (NO/SE/FI) | 1.17 | 4 % | 22 % | 6.36× |
| Germany | 0.36 | 1.2 % | 2.7 % | 2.53× |
Four world maps, four compromises
None of these maps is “correct” – each makes a different compromise. When it comes to size ratios, only area-preserving projections are suitable.
The UN Resolution from September 2026
On 4 September 2026, the UN General Assembly adopted the resolution “Correct the Map” – with 164 votes in favor, one against (USA) and six abstentions. Togo led negotiations on behalf of the African group of states.
The resolution is not legally binding. It does not ban Mercator but recommends that governments, schools and technology companies use equal-area projections such as Equal Earth in classrooms, media and international institutions. It followed the Correct The Map campaign, backed by Africa No Filter and Speak Up Africa, which was supported by the African Union and the Caribbean Community in August 2025.
Individual decisions had already been made earlier: in 2017, Boston became the first US school district to introduce Gall–Peters maps, and in 2018, NASA published the first known thematic map in Equal Earth.
Frequently Asked Questions
How large is Africa in km²?
Africa measures around 30.3 million km² according to official data; calculations based on the outlines from Natural Earth yield 29.9 million km². This makes Africa the second-largest continent after Asia, covering about 20 % of Earth’s land area.
Is Africa larger than Russia?
Yes, significantly. Africa, at 29.9 million km², is about 1.8 times larger than Russia at 17.0 million km². On the Mercator map, however, Russia appears about 2.5 times larger than Africa.
Why is Greenland so large on the world map?
Because the Mercator projection inflates areas by a factor of 1/cos²(latitude). Greenland lies between 60° and 83° North and is thus shown about 16 times larger than it really is. In reality, Africa is almost 14 times larger than Greenland.
Which world map shows Africa in the correct size?
Any equal-area projection. The most common today are Equal Earth (2018) and Gall–Peters (1855/1973). The UN General Assembly has recommended Equal Earth since September 2026.
How many countries the size of Germany fit into Africa?
About 84. Germany measures 0.36 million km², Africa 29.9 million km². Europe without Russia fits into the continent five times.
Sources and Tools
- The True Size Of – interactive map by James Talmage and Damon Maneice: drag countries across the world map, their outlines are continuously recalculated to the correct size.
- Kai Krause: „The True Size of Africa" (2010) – the original graphic placing the USA, China, India, Japan, Mexico and large parts of Europe within the outline of Africa.
- Equal Earth Projection – project page by the authors with wall maps and formulas. Academic article: The Equal Earth map projection, International Journal of Geographical Information Science, 2018 (doi:10.1080/13658816.2018.1504949).
- Correct The Map – campaign by Africa No Filter and Speak Up Africa, supported by the African Union and CARICOM.
- UN News on the resolution of 4 September 2026 – report by the United Nations on the vote with background information and quotes.
- Natural Earth – public domain map dataset, basis for all maps in this article.
Methodology. Outlines: Natural Earth, Admin 0 Countries, 1:50 Mio. Areas: geodetic on WGS84. Mercator areas: EPSG:3395, clipped at ±84°. Equal-area individual outlines: Lambert azimuthal equal-area, each centred on the area’s centroid. “Africa” comprises the 54 states of the continent including Madagascar.
