How big is Jordan really?
Jordan covers 89,341 km² (34,500 sq mi). On the usual world map (the Mercator projection) it is drawn about 1.37 times bigger than it really is.
See Jordan 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.
Jordan in numbers
- Jordan is the 113th largest of the 196 countries and territories in Globegami.
- Countries of about the same true size: Western Sahara (90,800 km²), Azerbaijan (86,600 km²), Portugal (92,225 km²).
- The United Kingdom is 2.7 times the size of Jordan.
Why the map gets Jordan wrong
Jordan lies around 31°N. A Mercator map stretches distances there by about 1.17 times in every direction, so areas come out roughly 1.37 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 Jordan 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