Maps are weird. We look at a map of North America and Greenland and we think we’re seeing the world exactly as it is, but we aren't. Not even close. If you’ve ever stared at a wall map in a classroom or scrolled through a digital atlas, you’ve probably noticed that Greenland looks roughly the same size as Africa. It's huge. It's imposing. It’s also a total lie.
Greenland is actually about fourteen times smaller than Africa.
This isn't some conspiracy. It’s just math. Specifically, it’s the result of the Mercator projection, a 16th-century navigation tool that stretched the world so sailors could sail in straight lines. Because the Earth is a sphere and maps are flat, something has to give. In the case of North America, the further north you go, the more "stretched" the landmass becomes. This creates a massive visual distortion that changes how we perceive the geography of the northern hemisphere.
The Greenland Problem: Scale vs. Reality
When you examine a standard map of North America and Greenland, your eyes tell you that Greenland is a sub-continent-sized behemoth. In reality, it’s roughly the size of Mexico. Mexico! Think about that for a second. On most maps, Mexico looks like a tiny funnel at the bottom of the United States, while Greenland looks like a frozen empire crowning the top of the globe.
Geographers call this "area distortion."
If you were to drag Greenland down the map—something you can actually do on sites like The True Size Of—it shrinks. By the time you slide it over the equator, it looks like a modest island. This distortion is why many people struggle to understand the actual logistics of northern travel or the geopolitical scale of the Arctic. Greenland covers about 836,330 square miles. That is significant, sure, but compared to the 3.8 million square miles of the U.S. or the 3.85 million square miles of Canada, it’s a fragment.
Why does this matter? Because maps shape our worldview. When the northern regions look larger, they feel more dominant. We tend to overestimate the physical presence of the Arctic and underestimate the massive landmasses of the Global South.
Defining the Borders: What’s Actually Included?
Most people assume North America is just the "Big Three": Canada, the United States, and Mexico. But a true map of North America and Greenland reveals a much more complex tapestry.
Geologically and tectonic-wise, Greenland is part of North America. It sits on the North American Plate. Politically, however, it’s an autonomous territory of Denmark. This creates a strange "split personality" for the island. It’s a piece of North American rock governed by European traditions.
👉 See also: Something is wrong with my world map: Why the Earth looks so weird on paper
Then you have Central America and the Caribbean.
A lot of folks forget that everything from the Darien Gap in Panama all the way up to the Arctic Circle is technically North America. This includes the seven countries of the Central American isthmus and the myriad island nations of the Caribbean. When you look at the continent as a whole, it’s actually the third-largest continent by area, covering about 9.5 million square miles.
The diversity is staggering. You go from the tropical rainforests of Costa Rica to the Ellesmere Island tundra in Nunavut, Canada. It’s a single landmass that spans almost every conceivable climate zone.
The Canadian Shield and the Great Plains
If you look at the center of the continent, you see two dominant features that dictate how humans live there. First, the Canadian Shield. This is a massive U-shaped region of ancient rock surrounding Hudson Bay. It’s thin-soiled and rugged. You can’t really farm it, which is why most of Canada's population is squeezed into a tiny strip along the U.S. border.
Then there are the Great Plains.
This is the "breadbasket." It’s a vast, flat expanse that runs from the Gulf of Mexico all the way into the Canadian prairies. On a map, it looks like a boring middle section, but it’s the engine of the continent’s food supply. Without this specific geological layout, the economic power of North America wouldn't exist.
The Arctic Frontier and the Melting Map
The top of the map of North America and Greenland is changing faster than any other part of the planet. We used to think of the "High North" as a static, frozen wasteland. Not anymore.
As the ice retreats, new shipping lanes are opening up. The Northwest Passage—a sea route through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago—is becoming a viable shortcut for international trade. This has sparked a "Cold War" of sorts. Everyone wants a piece of the Arctic. Russia, the U.S., Canada, Denmark (via Greenland), and even China (which calls itself a "near-Arctic state") are eyeing the resources beneath the seabed.
✨ Don't miss: Pic of Spain Flag: Why You Probably Have the Wrong One and What the Symbols Actually Mean
There are massive oil and gas reserves up there. Not to mention rare earth minerals.
Greenland is at the heart of this. The island is mostly covered by a massive ice sheet, some of it over two miles thick. If that ice were to melt completely, global sea levels would rise by about 23 feet. That’s not a "maybe" scenario; it’s a "when" scenario if current trends continue. So, when you look at that map, you aren't just looking at geography. You’re looking at a ticking time bomb of climate logistics.
Digital Maps vs. Paper Maps
Most of us use Google Maps or Apple Maps now. These use a variation called the Web Mercator projection. It’s great for zooming into your local coffee shop because it preserves angles and shapes at a small scale. But it’s terrible for looking at the whole world.
If you want a "true" look at the continent, you should seek out an Equal-Earth projection or a Gall-Peters map. These try to keep the sizes of landmasses accurate. On these maps, Canada and Greenland look "squished," but their size relative to Africa or South America is finally correct.
It’s jarring. You’ll probably hate it at first. We’re so used to the distorted version that the real version looks broken.
Understanding the Human Geography
It’s not just about rocks and ice. The map of North America and Greenland is a map of migration.
Indigenous peoples have crossed these lands for millennia. The Inuit in Greenland and Northern Canada share cultural and linguistic ties that ignore the national borders drawn by Europeans. In the south, the border between the U.S. and Mexico is one of the most crossed—and contested—lines on Earth.
When you study the map, look at the cities. Notice how they cluster around water. The Great Lakes, the Mississippi River, the St. Lawrence Seaway. These are the arteries of the continent. Even in the digital age, physical geography dictates where we build, how we trade, and where we fight.
🔗 Read more: Seeing Universal Studios Orlando from Above: What the Maps Don't Tell You
How to Actually Use This Information
If you’re a traveler, a student, or just someone who likes knowing things, stop trusting your first glance at a map. Here are some ways to get a better handle on North American geography:
1. Cross-reference with Globes
A globe is the only way to see the world without distortion. If you want to know how close Alaska really is to Russia, or how Greenland sits relative to Europe, look at a sphere.
2. Use "The True Size" Tool
Go online and search for "The True Size Of." Drag Greenland over the United States. Drag Mexico over Europe. It will completely reset your brain’s internal compass.
3. Study Topographic Maps
Flat maps don't show you why people live where they do. A topographic map shows the Rocky Mountains, the Appalachians, and the Sierra Madres. You’ll suddenly understand why the western U.S. is so different from the east.
4. Follow the Watersheds
Look at the Continental Divide. It’s an invisible line that determines whether a drop of water ends up in the Pacific or the Atlantic. It’s one of the most important geographical features of North America, yet it’s rarely highlighted on basic maps.
The map of North America and Greenland is a tool, but like any tool, it has its limits. It’s a 2D representation of a 3D reality, colored by 500-year-old navigation needs and political ego. Greenland isn't a continent-sized monster, and the world is much more interconnected than those flat lines suggest.
Next time you see Greenland looming large at the top of a map, remember: it's just a trick of the light and the lens. The reality is much more compact, much more fragile, and far more interesting than the Mercator projection lets on.