On the popular Mercator projection map, Russia appears significantly larger than Africa due to the way this map projection distorts landmass sizes near the poles.
While maps are essential tools for understanding geography, different projections represent the spherical Earth on a flat surface in unique ways. The Mercator projection, widely used for navigation, preserves shapes and angles but distorts the size of landmasses, especially as they get closer to the poles. Since Russia is located at higher latitudes (closer to the North Pole) than Africa, its size is exaggerated on this projection.
The Reality Behind the Projection
Contrary to its appearance on a Mercator map, Africa is substantially larger than Russia in actual area. The distortion caused by the projection makes northern countries look much bigger than they are relative to landmasses closer to the equator, like Africa.
Here's a comparison of their actual areas:
| Continent/Country | Actual Area (approximate) |
|---|---|
| Africa | 11.73 million square miles |
| Russia | 6.6 million square miles |
As the reference highlights, with an area of 11.73 million square miles compared to Russia's 6.6 million square miles, Africa can actually nearly fit two Russias within its borders.
Understanding Map Distortion
Map projections like the Mercator are compromises. It's impossible to flatten a sphere (like the Earth) into a 2D plane (like a map) without some form of distortion.
- Mercator Projection: Excellent for navigation because it shows true compass bearings as straight lines. However, it distorts area, especially at high latitudes. This is why Greenland often looks comparable in size to Africa on a Mercator map, when in reality Africa is about 14 times larger.
- Other Projections: Different projections prioritize different properties. For example, equal-area projections accurately show the relative sizes of landmasses but distort shapes.
In conclusion, the visual representation on a map, particularly the commonly seen Mercator map, can be misleading regarding the true sizes of continents and countries located at different latitudes. The apparent size difference between Russia and Africa is a prime example of this distortion.
