The real size of countries is often very different from what is shown on most world maps due to the way maps are projected. The most commonly used map projection, the Mercator projection, distorts the size of landmasses as you move closer to the poles. This happens because it's challenging to represent the 3D surface of the Earth on a 2D map without some distortion. Key Points: 1. Distortion in Size: Countries near the poles, like Greenland and Russia, appear much larger than they actually are.