How big is Senegal really?
Senegal covers 196,722 km² (76,000 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 Senegal 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.
Senegal in numbers
- Senegal is the 87th largest of the 196 countries and territories in Globegami.
- Countries of about the same true size: Kyrgyzstan (199,951 km²), Belarus (207,597 km²), Syria (185,180 km²).
- Senegal is about 19% smaller than the United Kingdom.
Why the map gets Senegal wrong
Senegal lies around 14°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 Senegal 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