This is the same world, the same coastlines, projected two different ways. Watch what happens to Africa (pink) and Greenland (blue) as you move from Mercator toward Equal Earth.
MercatorEqual Earth
Africa
Greenland
1.0×
Africa's on-screen area vs Greenland's, right now
14.0×
Africa's true area vs Greenland's, in reality
How big are these landmasses, really?
Actual land area, not screen area. This is the ranking that Mercator's projection obscures and Equal Earth is built to preserve.
Land area figures are standard geographic reference values, rounded to the nearest 0.1 million km².