How true-size comparisons use area data
Area is the comparison metric
The map and result cards compare geographic area. Country pages use the stated country area basis, while continent pages use continental area. The label beside every value tells you which basis applies.
A country and a continent are different geographic entity types. Their area can still be compared visually, but their totals are not interchangeable statistical categories.
Reviewed country figures use the reported surface area in UNdata, generally labelled 2023 in its country profiles. The directory, map tooltips and comparison pages use the same numeric figure. UNdata surface area and Census total area include land and water under their source definitions; these figures must not be described as land area alone.
The United States national figure includes Alaska and Hawaii. The contiguous entry covers 48 states plus the District of Columbia, using the sum of land and water areas in the Census 2010 state table. France uses a cited 2022 report figure for terrestrial area including overseas France, rather than the metropolitan-only UNdata figure. That report does not provide a separate water-area definition. These scopes are labelled beside their values; separately listed territories are not additional parts to sum into their parent totals.
Continental figures retain the approximate legacy reference values. Their background links are geographic context, rather than a newly verified numerical source. Map outlines are simplified and may omit islands or differ from the statistical extent, especially for disputed boundaries and overseas regions. The map is a visual aid, not a way to reproduce the published area number. Equal Earth uses geometry-based model areas, which are a different measure from these statistical references.
Population and GDP context
Population and nominal GDP appear only when both sides are countries. For a continent, those figures depend on which territories are included and how an aggregate is calculated, so they are not presented as part of an area comparison.
Sources and dates
Each comparison lists metric-specific source links. Country population and nominal GDP context use World Bank indicators, with the data year shown beside each value. The page update date records when its editorial content was last reviewed.
Map data is used as a reference for the visual comparison. Reviewed area values link to their numerical source and reference year. Other directory entries retain the legacy dataset values until individually reviewed; an unlabelled value should not be read as a current official estimate. Continents are treated separately from country values.