Why Maps Can Be Deceiving
Determining the exact size of a country or a state can be quite complicated. After all, conventional maps carry errors that distort the real surface, and the alternatives aren't very popular, to say the least. However, we can always consult MAPFrappe, which with a couple of clicks helps us make comparisons between countries, cities, provinces, states, and even smaller things like parks and other constructions.
If you want to learn more about the world, the first recommendation is to take a map. It doesn't have to be physical; a digital equivalent is more than enough. A pinch of extra creativity can turn traditional maps into true multicultural scenarios, just like what happens with the Radio Garden portal, dedicated to tuning in stations from all over the planet. We can also find out what the antipode of our city or region is, courtesy of the Antipodr portal. But there's something much simpler that demonstrates the natural limit of maps and projections, and that is comparing sizes. That's where MAPFrappe comes in.
How MAPFrappe Works
The MAPFrappe interface is divided into two parts. On the left side, you search for a specific place and double-click to create a border. On the right side, you locate the area you want to compare, and the blue border of the first place appears on top. The help section of MAPFrappe includes several examples that compare Italy with Japan, Singapore and Cyprus, Greenland and India, Madagascar and Korea, and one of the most interesting: Australia against the Sahara Desert. MAPFrappe also pits parks, stadiums, and other high-profile spaces against each other, like Red Square and Tiananmen Square.
MAPFrappe would be a perfect tool for us if it weren't for some technical details at the moment. Apparently, there is a conflict between the Google Maps API and the way MAPFrappe loads maps. The official Twitter profile isn't very active, but the last update was in May 2018, so we hope its developer, Kelvin Thompson, can resolve that problem soon.
Want to know more? How about finding your country on Pangea, or discovering what Earth will look like in 250 million years?
