How big is Suriname really?
Suriname covers 163,270 km² (63,000 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 Suriname 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.
Suriname in numbers
- Suriname is the 93rd largest of the 196 countries and territories in Globegami.
- Countries of about the same true size: Tunisia (163,610 km²), Somaliland (176,120 km²), Uruguay (176,215 km²).
- Suriname is about 33% smaller than the United Kingdom.
Why the map gets Suriname wrong
Suriname lies around 4°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 Suriname 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