How big is Mauritius really?
Mauritius covers 2,040 km² (788 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 Mauritius 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.
Mauritius in numbers
- Mauritius is the 182nd largest of the 196 countries and territories in Globegami.
- Countries of about the same true size: Comoros (2,034 km²), Siachen Glacier (2,130 km²), Luxembourg (2,593 km²).
- The United Kingdom is 119 times the size of Mauritius.
Why the map gets Mauritius wrong
Mauritius lies around 20°S. A Mercator map stretches distances there by about 1.07 times in every direction, so areas come out roughly 1.14 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 Mauritius 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