True Size of Countries

Reviewed geography guide

Equal Earth Projection: What Equal Area Means

Equal Earth is a pseudocylindrical equal-area world projection designed in 2018. Equal area keeps surface-area proportions comparable across the map, but it does not preserve every shape or distance.

What equal area guarantees

Equal-area projections show equal portions of Earth’s surface with equal map area. A region measured as twice the territorial area of another therefore occupies twice the display area, apart from drawing and boundary-resolution limits.

That property makes Equal Earth appropriate for thematic world maps and broad geographic comparisons where area is the question.

What equal area does not guarantee

Equal area is one controlled property, not a promise that every outline, bearing, or distance is exact. Shapes still change, especially toward the map edges, and routes should not be measured as though the map were a globe.

True Size uses reviewed territorial values for its calculations and area-calibrated silhouettes for pairwise visuals, so projected pixels never become the source of the answer.

Reviewed sources

Reviewed 31 July 2026