The Mercator Distortion
In 1569, Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator created a map projection that would become the default for classrooms, atlases, and eventually Google Maps. The Mercator projection preserves angles and shapes that are essential for navigation, but at a significant cost: it dramatically inflates landmasses as they approach the poles.
The result? Greenland appears roughly the same size as Africa. In reality, Africa is 14 times larger.
The Numbers Behind the Distortion
According to data from climate scientist Neil Kaye and the interactive mapping tool at Engaging Data, Greenland is the single most exaggerated territory on Earth by percentage. It is actually 73.9% smaller than is shown on a Mercator map.