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Africa · 92nd largest of 242

Somaliland at its true size

It sits near the equator, so Mercator barely stretches it: 1.03×.

Disputed territory: drawn as it is held today (Natural Earth’s de facto boundary).

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True sizeAs Mercator draws it

How big it really is

168,495 km²True area · 65,056 square miles
92 / 242By area
1.03×As Mercator draws it
180 timesFits into Africa
5,096,159People
30.2People per km²

How Mercator draws it

The middle of Somaliland is at about 10° N. Mercator stretches each place by the same amount across and up, more the further it is from the equator, so here every area comes out 1.03× its true size.

At the equator nothing is stretched. At 60° north or south, everything is drawn at four times its true area. The poles never fit on the map at all.

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