True Size of Countries — Drag & Compare
See how big France really is next to Kenya — drag any country anywhere on the map, distortion-free.
France is about 1.08 × the size of Kenya (643,829 km² vs 593,484 km²).
Drag this country anywhere on the map.
Stays in place — drag the other country onto it to compare.
Drag the highlighted country with your mouse, finger or arrow keys. Its shape and area never change — that is the real size. Focus the map and use the arrow keys to nudge the dragged country. Hold Shift for finer steps.
Computed comparison
| Computed comparison | Dragged: France | Reference: Kenya |
|---|---|---|
| True surface area | 643,829 km² | 593,484 km² |
| Size ratio | 1.08 × | |
How this tool works
- Pick the country you want to move (A) and the reference country (B).
- Drag A with your mouse, finger, or the arrow keys — it keeps its exact shape and area, only its position changes.
- Drop it over B (or anywhere else) and read the computed verdict: true surface areas and the size ratio, calculated with an equal-area formula, not the distorted Mercator grid.
The state lives in the URL (?a=france&b=kenya),
so any comparison can be shared, bookmarked, or indexed directly.
Data & method (no-JS fallback)
Boundaries: Natural Earth 1:110m (public domain). Areas are the spherical surface area of each boundary (Chamberlain–Duquette equal-area formula), computed in km². Default comparison:
| Country | True surface area |
|---|---|
| France (dragged) | 643,829 km² |
| Kenya (reference) | 593,484 km² |
| Ratio | 1.08 × |
FAQ
Why do countries look wrong on regular maps?
Most web maps use the Web Mercator projection, which inflates areas more the closer you get to the poles — Greenland looks comparable to Africa even though Africa is about 14 × larger. This tool drags each country's true, undistorted shape around so you can compare real sizes directly.
Does dragging a country change its size?
No. The dragged country is translated across the globe without any scaling, so its shape and surface area stay exact. The comparison is computed with an equal-area spherical formula: France ≈ 643,829 km², Kenya ≈ 593,484 km².
Which data powers the comparison?
Country boundaries come from Natural Earth (1:110m scale, public domain), and areas are computed client-side with an equal-area spherical-excess formula (Chamberlain–Duquette, the same family used by d3-geo). Small islands may be simplified at this scale.
Can I share a specific comparison?
Yes — the URL is the state. Pick two countries and the address updates (for example /tools/true-size?a=france&b=kenya); copy it from the share button or the address bar to send exactly that comparison.