Munga-Thirri–Simpson Desert National Park, to scale

Munga-Thirri–Simpson Desert National Park covers 36,206 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

Munga-Thirri–Simpson Desert National ParkvsSwitzerland

On the Mercator map

True size

Munga-Thirri–Simpson Desert National Park36,206 km² · 1.3× on the map
Switzerland41,419 km² · 2.1× 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

Munga-Thirri–Simpson Desert National Park covers 36,206 km².

For scale, Switzerland covers 41,419 km².

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 Munga-Thirri–Simpson Desert National Park sits at 27°S, the map draws it about 1.2× its true size. Switzerland, 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 Munga-Thirri–Simpson Desert 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 ParksNamib-Naukluft National Park, to scaleNamib-Naukluft National Park covers 50,987 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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