Awhile back I spent a month in Sicily. I'm not completely stupid. I travel a fair amount. I look at maps a lot (many people never do anymore). I have seen that big blob at the toe of the boot.
Still, stuck in my mind was the idea that "Sicily is an island off the coast of mainland Italy." And islands are pretty small, right?
Sicily is actually quite big! It's bigger than New Jersey!
Generally, no matter how much I consult maps, I have a hard time getting the sense of the scale of a place before I actually visit. The consistent thing is everywhere is bigger than I expect.
Iran is very big.