New UN World Map: These 5 Continents Are Actually Bigger Than You Think and It’s Changing the Way We Travel

For travelers, this change will be an interesting reminder that some of the places we think we know may be very different from what we see on a regular world map. Here are 6 destinations and regions that put this geographic illusion into perspective.

Africa

Africa is perhaps the biggest surprise. On a traditional Mercator map, Africa may appear remarkably similar in size to Greenland. In fact, Africa is about 30.3 million square kilometers in area, and Greenland is about 14 times smaller.

This is important for travelers because a “trip to Africa” is hardly a one-time visit. A safari in Kenya, a holiday in Morocco, a trip to South Africa and a beach holiday in Zanzibar involve vast geographical distances and completely different landscapes and cultures.

South America

South America is another region whose extent can be underestimated on conventional maps. The continent’s area is about 17.8 million square kilometers, and Latin America as a whole is about 20 million square kilometers. This means that traveling around South America can involve travel on a completely different scale than what a quick glance at a world map might suggest.

From the Amazon rainforest and the beaches of Brazil to Patagonia, the Andes and the historic cities of Peru and Colombia, the continent offers a vast geographical expanse. For travelers planning a South American itinerary involving multiple countries, the map is a useful reminder to look beyond the number of countries and consider the actual distances between them.

India

South Asia may not look particularly large on many world maps, but the region is home to a vast geographic and cultural landscape. The region covers approximately 5.1 million square kilometers and includes India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, among others. It is also home to approximately a quarter of the world’s population.

Travelers can easily appreciate the difference by comparing the landscapes of India alone – from the Himalayas and Rajasthan to Kerala, the northeast, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Australia

Australia is another place where size can be deceiving. Oceania covers about 8.5 million square kilometers, with Australia accounting for most of this area. This scale is one of the reasons why an Australian holiday can mean very different things depending on the route. Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Cairns and Uluru are not just different stops on a compact route – they can involve significant distances and completely different landscapes.

Europe

Europe is another region whose apparent size can be misleading. The continent’s area is about 10.2 million square kilometers, which is significantly smaller than Africa, which is about 30.3 million square kilometers. However, on many familiar world maps, Europe appears visually much larger in comparison.

This is important when looking at international travel through a geographic lens. Europe can contain dozens of countries in a relatively compact area, making multi-country travel possible, which is often much more difficult on larger continents.

What the new map means for travelers

The move, backed by the UN, is not intended to change the physical size of any country or continent. Africa has always been so big; Greenland has always been this size. What’s changing is how we present them.

Developed in 2018 by cartographers Bojan Šavrić, Tom Patterson and Bernhard Jenny, the Equal Earth projection is designed to preserve the relative surface areas of the continents while keeping their shapes fairly recognizable. And it may make us think about travel differently.

A map is often the first thing we look at when imagining a destination. This affects how we understand distance, plan routes, and mentally group countries. So seeing the world with a more accurate sense of scale is more than just a geography lesson. It can also be a reminder that travel distances are often much greater than they appear on screen.