California is larger: 410,805 km² versus 302,068 km² for Italy, or about 36% more.
Both areas at the same scale: California and Italy. Drag the outlines, separate them and see what the Mercator map hides.
Drag the outlines to overlap them, or place them side by side.
US state. The comparison uses land and inland water (lakes, rivers) from the Census Bureau's 2010 figures, without coastal, territorial or Great Lakes water.
Area source: U.S. Census Bureau (2010)
Area source: UN Demographic Yearbook 2024, Table 3
True area tells a different story than the Mercator map.
The Mercator projection enlarges areas more and more the farther they lie from the equator. The centers of the two areas lie about 37° (California) and 43° (Italy) from the equator. An estimate based on each center’s latitude gives an area ratio of 1.2 : 1, compared with the real ratio of 1.4 : 1. This is not a measurement of the entire outlines on a Mercator map.
Tip: You can also compare these items dynamically by clicking the link below and dragging them directly across the global interactive map.
Each figure is the area described beside its subject, from the source listed there. The overlay uses an equal-area projection. Coastal outlines are simplified and do not include all waters counted in the statistics. Their area ratio can therefore differ from the ratio of official total areas. Geometry: Natural Earth, public domain. Read the methodology ↗
The Mercator projection preserves angles, which makes it useful for navigation, but it enlarges areas more and more the farther they lie from the equator. At 60° latitude, areas already appear four times larger than at the equator. A same-scale comparison like the one on this page greatly reduces that distortion.
California covers 410,805 km² of land and inland water (lakes, rivers), including 403,466 km² of land. The Census Bureau also gives a total area of 423,967 km², which adds coastal and territorial water. The comparison uses the first figure because it matches the outline on the map. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010.
