True size of countries is a free map website that shows the true size of each country on the Mercator projection. The projection was created in 1569 and was adopted due to its large use in sea travel. The map allows shortest paths between two places to be drawn in a straight line. This makes it easy for navigation however, like all 2d maps of the globe there is a trade off. With the Mercator size and shapes of the countries are largely distorted. This effect is not noticeable near the equator but as you go towards the poles the distortion greatly increases. One famous example is Greenland which is nearly fourteen times its actual size. True size of countries allows people to see the actual size. By overlying the correct shape and size of each country users can clearly see how the world map would look without any distortions. This keeps the benefit of the Mercator projection, but also adds a new layer to allow people to get the correct size and shape. As such, it becomes one of the most accurate 2d maps of the globe.
To change the settings you can use the icon in the top left of the screen. Simply click the button and the drop down will appear. From the drop down you can click the color square to change the color. The color options will also have an input which you can paste in any color. It accepts many formats including rgb, hex, rgba and so on. You can also modify the opacity. From this input, you are able to set the opacity. The accepted values are from 0 to 1. Only integers are accepted. Lastly, you are also able to hide or show the equator. By default the equator is shown. By unchecking the box, you can hide the equator from the map. You also have a few buttons on the top right of the screen that allow you to enable the map in full screen and zoom in and out of the map.
Yes, this website is completely free and will always stay that way. We believe in making an educational website that allows anyone to learn about the distortions of the Mercator projection. You can also easily share your custom map with anyone you like simply copy the url.
We would love to hear feedback. Feel free to do so using out email: tsoc@post.com