How big it really is
1.0 km²True area
242 / 242By area
1.81×As Mercator draws it
30,370,000 timesFits into Africa
825People
825People per km²
How Mercator draws it
The middle of Vatican is at about 42° 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 1.81× 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.
Countries about this size
The countries just bigger and just smaller, each at its true area:
- Monaco12.0 km²
- Tuvalu10.0 km²
- Ashmore and Cartier Islands3.0 km²
- Vatican1.0 km²