Why does Russia appear larger than Africa on world maps?
RUSSIA AND AFRICA
Russia and Africa are the two largest land masses on Earth. However, different scales can be used in the drawing of maps, making them appear to be different sizes. This is due to maps attempting to represent the surface of the world in two dimensions.
The scale used in maps may not accurately reflect the actual size of any surface. Typically, maps are used to show a region that corresponds to one percent of the global surface. However, this scale does not accurately reflect the actual size of the surface, and some areas may appear larger or smaller than others.
The reason why Russia appears larger than Africa on maps may be due to the projections used in the drawing of maps. Since it is difficult to represent a surface in a flat manner due to the curvature of the Earth's surface, projections are typically used. While these projections are used to show a specific region, the sizes and shapes of other regions can be altered.
For example, the Mercator projection, used to emphasize the size of Russia, makes Russia appear larger by magnifying polar regions. This projection is commonly used in most world maps and uses a mathematical formula to draw the surface of the world. However, this projection shrinks regions near the equator and is therefore not fair to large continents like Africa.
In reality, Africa is larger than Russia. Africa accounts for approximately 20% of the Earth's surface area, while Russia covers approximately 11% of the Earth's surface area.
Therefore, the scale and projections used in the drawing of maps may not accurately reflect the actual size of a surface. When interpreting world maps, it is important to ensure that the correct scale and projection are used.