How big is the Gambia really?

The Gambia covers 11,300 km² (4,360 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 the Gambia 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.

The Gambia in numbers

The Gambia is the 165th largest of the 196 countries and territories in Globegami.
Countries of about the same true size: Qatar (11,586 km²), Jamaica (10,992 km²), Kosovo (10,887 km²).
The United Kingdom is 21 times the size of the Gambia.

Why the map gets the Gambia wrong

The Gambia lies around 13°N. A Mercator map stretches distances there by about 1.03 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 the Gambia 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