All maps face the challenge of making the globe appear to scale in two dimensions. Most, like the traditional Mercator projection, keep either size or shape consistent — not both — which skews our perception of continents and countries one way or the other.

But when you compare square mileage, a whole new world appears. Inspired by this map of Africa's true size from German graphic designer Kai Krause, we created 11 map overlays to open your eyes to some real geography.