Montanhas do Tumucumaque National Park, to scale

Montanhas 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.

By W. Viljoen · Published 21 June 2026

Montanhas do Tumucumaque National ParkvsNetherlands

On the Mercator map

True size

Montanhas do Tumucumaque National Park38,343 km²
Netherlands37,337 km² · 2.7× 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

Montanhas do Tumucumaque National Park covers 38,343 km².

That is almost exactly the size of Netherlands (37,337 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 Montanhas do Tumucumaque National Park sits at 2°N, the map draws it at very nearly its true size. Netherlands, 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 Montanhas do Tumucumaque 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 ParksMunga-Thirri–Simpson Desert National Park, to scaleMunga-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.

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