How big is São Tomé and Principe really?

São Tomé and Principe covers 1,001 km² (386 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 São Tomé and Principe 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.

São Tomé and Principe in numbers

São Tomé and Principe is the 187th largest of the 196 countries and territories in Globegami.
Countries of about the same true size: Hong Kong (1,106 km²), Bahrain (787 km²), Dominica (751 km²).
The United Kingdom is 242 times the size of São Tomé and Principe.

Why the map gets São Tomé and Principe wrong

São Tomé and Principe lies around 0°N. A Mercator map stretches distances there by about 1.0 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 São Tomé and Principe 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