Mercator's distortion isn't random or vague — it's an exact tax, and the only thing it charges on is latitude. Area is inflated by sec²(latitude): 1× on the equator, exactly double at 45°, exactly quadruple at 60°, and climbing without limit toward the poles. A country's shape, size and longitude make no difference at all.
This pillar follows the tax up the globe. Two countries on the same parallel are stretched by the identical factor even if one is five times the other; cross the 60th parallel and you're drawn at least fourfold too big; approach the pole and the inflation runs to infinity, which is why every web map is quietly cropped near 85°. Drag a country north or south and watch the multiplier climb and fall.