Flat maps, designed to offer a consistent representation of Earth, reveal inaccuracies in countries' sizing. Some nations near the Poles appear significantly larger than they truly are ...

This story appears in the July 2016 issue of National Geographic magazine ... He decided that a magnificent gift—a lavish map of the world—might maneuver him into the new king’s good ...

World War I involved 32 nations from 1914 to 1919. It redrew the world map and reshaped many borders in Europe. The collapse of the Russian Empire created Poland, the Baltics, and Finland.