Argentina vs Greenland: the underdog is bigger
Argentina is about 30% larger than Greenland — 2.79 million km² to 2.14 million — though the Mercator map makes Greenland look far bigger.
By W. Viljoen · Published 21 June 2026
Argentinavs
Greenland- Argentina2,789,353 km² · 1.6× 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.The quiet giant of the south
Greenland sprawls across the top of the map, an unmissable white slab. Argentina
tapers down toward the bottom and looks like the lesser of the two. The map has it
exactly backwards: Argentina is the bigger country.
The numbers
- Argentina: ~2.79 million km²
- Greenland: ~2.14 million km²
Argentina is about 30% larger than Greenland — not close, and the opposite of
what the map suggests.
Why the map lies
Greenland sits far in the north, deep in the zone where Mercator stretches every
shape outward. Argentina runs down the mild southern mid-latitudes, much closer to
the projection's honest middle. So Greenland is puffed up while Argentina is shown
near its true scale — and the real winner ends up looking smaller.
Try it
Drag Greenland down toward the equator and on toward Argentina's latitudes. As
it sheds its high-north inflation, its footprint collapses below Argentina's — the
underdog wins outright.