The Greenland Illusion: Why the icy island is not a continent
On the Mercator map Greenland looks as large as Africa, yet Africa is about 14 times larger. See where the illusion comes from.
A classic example of distortion near the pole
Ask about the biggest illusion on world maps and the answer is usually Greenland. On a Mercator map the island looks as large as Africa. In reality Greenland covers 2.17 million km² and Africa about 30.4 million km². Africa is roughly 14 times larger.
The illusion comes from how the Mercator projection is built. On a globe the meridians meet at the poles, while on this map they are parallel straight lines. To keep angles, the map therefore stretches equally in both directions as it moves away from the Equator. Areas grow with the square of the secant of latitude. Greenland lies roughly between 60° and 83° north: at 70° areas are enlarged about 8.5 times, and at 80° more than 30 times.
Which is larger in reality: Africa or Greenland?
Greenland and India
A comparison with India, which lies much closer to the Equator, shows it clearly. On a Mercator map Greenland looks clearly larger. In reality:
- India covers 3.29 million km²,
- Greenland covers 2.17 million km².
India is more than a million square kilometers larger than Greenland. See how the island shrinks as you drag it toward the Equator in the Poland and Greenland comparison.
What would Greenland look like on the Equator?
Moved to the Equator, Greenland's area on the map would shrink several times over. It would become an island about the size of Saudi Arabia, which covers 2.21 million km². You will find the island's figures on the Greenland profile, and you can compare other far-northern countries on the interactive map.
How can you see the true proportions?
Equal-area projections keep the true proportions of areas, for example the Gall-Peters projection or Equal Earth. The compromise Robinson projection is not equal-area, but it enlarges polar regions much less than Mercator, so Greenland looks closer to its real size there.