Algeria vs Greenland: the underdog is bigger
Algeria is about 8% larger than Greenland — 2.32 million km² to 2.14 million — even though Mercator makes Greenland look far bigger.
By W. Viljoen · Published 21 June 2026
Algeriavs
Greenland- Algeria2,317,478 km² · 1.3× on the map
- Greenland2,142,677 km² · 9.9× on the map
Both panels are drawn to the same scale. On the left, each country is the size the Mercator map gives it; on the right, its true size with the latitude distortion removed.Africa's biggest, hiding in plain sight
Algeria is the largest country in Africa, yet on a Mercator map it sits modestly
across the north of the continent while Greenland blazes across the Arctic looking
unbeatable. The honest comparison flips that: Algeria is the bigger country.
The numbers
- Algeria: ~2.32 million km²
- Greenland: ~2.14 million km²
Algeria is about 8% larger than Greenland — a clear, if narrow, win for the
country the map makes look smaller.
Why the map lies
Greenland lies far into the Arctic, where Mercator's stretch is at its most
extreme. Algeria sits in the lower northern latitudes, much nearer the equator,
so it is drawn close to its true size. The projection alone is enough to make the
smaller landmass look like the larger one.
Try it
Drag Greenland down toward Algeria's latitudes. As its Arctic inflation melts
away, its real footprint slips just under Algeria's — the underdog holds on.