Many maps are lying to us. I don't mean this in a flat earth kind of way, but rather in the sense that they tend to give certain countries preferential treatment. Much as Americans and many others in this world would like to act as if the United States is the center of the universe, it's not quite as big and impressive as it often gets made out to be with the art of cartography.
A great case study that proves this point is Indonesia. This is what one TikToker went viral for demonstrating, showing how the Southeast Asian country was so large that it could create a bridge between the UK and the East Coast. A lot of viewers were astounded by this impressive revelation, although some real map heads had to dispute the OP's disdain for the Mercator projection. It looks like many people badly need a geography lesson.