Chiribiquete National Park, to scale

Chiribiquete National Park covers 42,956 km². On the equator the map draws it honestly — which is exactly why it looks so small. Drag it north and watch its real scale appear.

By W. Viljoen · Published 21 June 2026

Chiribiquete National ParkvsDenmark

On the Mercator map

True size

Chiribiquete National Park42,956 km²
Denmark42,589 km² · 3.2× 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 numbers

Chiribiquete National Park covers 42,956 km².

That is almost exactly the size of Denmark (42,589 km²) — a whole country, matched by a single park.

Why the map looks honest here

Mercator inflates area by sec²(latitude): nothing on the equator, about double at 45°, and more than triple past 55°.

Because Chiribiquete National Park sits at the equator, the map draws it at very nearly its true size. Denmark, far higher in latitude, is inflated much more — which is exactly why, on screen, it can look the equal or the larger of the two even though the true areas above say otherwise.

Try it

Grab Chiribiquete National Park on the map and drag it north — over Europe or Canada. As it climbs, the readout's multiplier rises from near 1× toward 2×, 4× and beyond, and the footprint balloons to match. Drag it back to the equator and the inflation drains away.

Next in National ParksMontanhas do Tumucumaque National Park, to scaleMontanhas do Tumucumaque National Park covers 38,343 km². On the equator the map draws it honestly — which is exactly why it looks so small. Drag it north and watch its real scale appear.

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