The standard map that we all grew up studying in elementry school, known as a Mercator map (pictured below), is completely out of proportion. These maps exaggerate regions far from the equator.
In truth, Africa is 14 times larger than Greenland, Canada is only 1.2 times the size of the United States, and Antarctica is roughly the same size as the contiguous united states.
Also Read: Fascinating Relief Maps Show The World’s Mountain Ranges
However, don’t get the idea that the Mercator is a bad map. It’s not. The map preserves “true compass bearings between any two points” and has become a standard in nautical navigation.