Finland vs Vietnam: identical in size, opposites on the map
Finland and Vietnam cover almost the same area — about 331,000 km² each — yet Mercator inflates Finland and shrinks Vietnam.
By W. Viljoen · Published 21 June 2026
Finlandvs
Vietnam- Finland331,679 km² · 5.2× on the map
- Vietnam330,725 km²
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.A tale of two latitudes
Finland and Vietnam cover virtually the same area, yet they could hardly look more
different on a world map. Finland sprawls across the European north; Vietnam
threads a slim line down the tropics. The shapes fool you — the areas match.
The numbers
- Finland: ~331,700 km²
- Vietnam: ~330,700 km²
A gap of about 0.3% — effectively a tie.
Why the map lies
Finland reaches well above 60° north, deep into Mercator's stretch zone, so it is
drawn much larger than life. Vietnam sits in the tropics, between about 9 and
23° north, where the projection is close to faithful. Equal ground, unequal
portrayal.
Try it
Grab Finland and drag it down beside Vietnam. Watch its true-size outline
collapse as it leaves the high north, until it matches its tropical twin.