How big is French Polynesia really?
French Polynesia covers 4,167 km² (1,610 sq mi). On the usual world map (the Mercator projection) it is drawn close to its true size: it lies near the equator, where the usual world map stretches little.
See French Polynesia 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.
French Polynesia in numbers
- French Polynesia is the 175th largest of the 196 countries and territories in Globegami.
- Countries of about the same true size: South Georgia (4,066 km²), Cabo Verde (4,033 km²), Northern Cyprus (3,470 km²).
- The United Kingdom is 58 times the size of French Polynesia.
Why the map gets French Polynesia wrong
French Polynesia lies around 18°S. A Mercator map stretches distances there by about 1.05 times in every direction, which barely changes its size. 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 French Polynesia 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