Why does Greenland look about as big as Africa on many world maps?

Map projection distorts size near the poles

Greenland is nearly as big as Africa

World Map Quiz: Continents, Oceans, Lines & Map Projections

This world map quiz tests how well you can read the map in your head, from Antarctica and the Atlantic to the Prime Meridian at Greenwich, Italy's boot, the Mercator projection and the islands of Kiribati. Ten questions, 90 seconds.

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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 90 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 90s

Continents
On most world maps, which continent appears along the very bottom?
Oceans
Which ocean separates the Americas from Europe and Africa?
Map Lines
What is the line at 0° longitude that runs through Greenwich, London, called?
Shapes
Which country is shaped like a boot on the map?
Projections
Why does Greenland look about as big as Africa on many world maps?
Continents
Which continent is crossed by both the Equator and the Prime Meridian?
Map Lines
Which line of latitude marks the northern edge of the tropics?
Land Bridges
The Sinai Peninsula connects Africa with which continent?
Hemispheres
Which is the only country that lies in all four hemispheres?
Oceans
Which is the smallest of Earth's oceans?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: On most world maps, which continent appears along the very bottom?
Answer: Antarctica
Antarctica surrounds the South Pole, so it sits at the bottom of most world maps, often stretched into a long white band. It is the fifth-largest continent and almost entirely covered by ice.
Q2: Which ocean separates the Americas from Europe and Africa?
Answer: Atlantic
The Atlantic separates North and South America from Europe and Africa and is the second-largest ocean. It is still widening by a few centimeters every year as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge spreads apart.
Q3: What is the line at 0° longitude that runs through Greenwich, London, called?
Answer: Prime Meridian
The Prime Meridian at 0° longitude runs through the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London, chosen at an international conference in 1884. Places east of it lie in the Eastern Hemisphere and places west in the Western.
Q4: Which country is shaped like a boot on the map?
Answer: Italy
Italy's long peninsula looks like a boot stepping into the Mediterranean, with Sicily near its toe. The heel is the region of Puglia.
Q5: Why does Greenland look about as big as Africa on many world maps?
Answer: Map projection distorts size near the poles
Most classroom maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches land more and more toward the poles. In reality, Africa is about 14 times bigger than Greenland.
Q6: Which continent is crossed by both the Equator and the Prime Meridian?
Answer: Africa
Africa is the only continent crossed by both lines, which meet in the Gulf of Guinea off West Africa. That point at 0° latitude and 0° longitude is jokingly called Null Island.
Q7: Which line of latitude marks the northern edge of the tropics?
Answer: Tropic of Cancer
The Tropic of Cancer lies at about 23.4° north and marks the farthest north the Sun can be directly overhead, around the June solstice. Its southern partner is the Tropic of Capricorn.
Q8: The Sinai Peninsula connects Africa with which continent?
Answer: Asia
The Sinai Peninsula in Egypt forms a land bridge between Africa and Asia. The Suez Canal, opened in 1869, runs along its western edge to link the Mediterranean and the Red Sea.
Q9: Which is the only country that lies in all four hemispheres?
Answer: Kiribati
Kiribati's islands straddle both the Equator and the 180° meridian, so the country lies in the northern, southern, eastern and western hemispheres. It is the only nation that does.
Q10: Which is the smallest of Earth's oceans?
Answer: Arctic
The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of Earth's five oceans, and much of it is covered by sea ice all year. National Geographic began recognizing the Southern Ocean around Antarctica as a fifth ocean in 2021.

World Map Quiz – How Well Can You Read the Map?

A world map squeezes a round planet onto a flat page, and every map has to make choices to do it. The lines of latitude and longitude form a grid that lets us pin down any place on Earth. The Equator and the Prime Meridian act as the zero lines, the tropics mark where the Sun can stand directly overhead, and the polar circles mark where it can stay up all day in summer.

Those choices also create some famous illusions. On the Mercator projection, used on many classroom walls since the 1500s, Greenland looks as large as Africa and Antarctica stretches across the whole bottom edge. In reality, Africa could hold Greenland about fourteen times over. Knowing why maps distort size is one of the most useful map-reading skills there is.

This quiz mixes the basics, like continents, oceans and the shape of Italy, with a few curiosities, like the only country in all four hemispheres. You will not see a map on screen, so it is all about the picture you carry in your head.

What This Quiz Teaches

This quiz is helpful for students learning map skills, teachers looking for a quick class activity and anyone who wants to read maps with more confidence.

How latitude and longitude lines divide the globe
Why the Prime Meridian runs through Greenwich
How the Mercator projection distorts the size of countries
Which continent is crossed by both zero lines
Where the tropics begin and end
Which oceans are the largest and the smallest

Quick Facts About Maps

Gerardus Mercator published his famous projection in 1569 to help sailors steer straight courses.
The oldest known world map, the Babylonian Imago Mundi, was carved on a clay tablet about 2,600 years ago.
Google Earth and most online maps use a version of the Mercator projection for street maps.
The International Date Line roughly follows the 180° meridian but zigzags around countries and islands.
On a globe, the shortest flight path between two cities usually looks curved on a flat map.
The Gall-Peters projection shows countries at their true relative size but stretches their shapes.