How big is Cyprus really?
Cyprus covers 5,710 km² (2,200 sq mi). On the usual world map (the Mercator projection) it is drawn about 1.49 times bigger than it really is.
See Cyprus at its true size on the map →True size vs the map
Both drawn at the same scale. The map keeps shapes but swells everything away from the equator.
Cyprus in numbers
- Cyprus is the 173rd largest of the 196 countries and territories in Globegami.
- Countries of about the same true size: Brunei (5,765 km²), Palestine (6,020 km²), Trinidad and Tobago (5,128 km²).
- The United Kingdom is 42 times the size of Cyprus.
Why the map gets Cyprus wrong
Cyprus lies around 35°N. A Mercator map stretches distances there by about 1.22 times in every direction, so areas come out roughly 1.49 times too big near its middle. Most web maps use this projection because it keeps angles and shapes right for navigation, not because it shows sizes fairly.
In Globegami you can drag a copy of Cyprus anywhere on Earth: it keeps its true size and grows or shrinks on the map as it moves, and you can fold the map back into a globe.
Areas: official totals including inland water (UN Statistics Division via Wikidata). Outlines: Natural Earth. How Globegami works