Western Sahara at its true size
Western Sahara covers 266,000 km², number 78 of 235 countries and territories by area. Home to 612,000 people (2021). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 266,000 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 612,000 Wikidata, 2021 |
| Density | 2.3 per km² |
| Capital | — |
| Time zone | UTC+1 IANA |
| Currency | Moroccan dirham (MAD) Wikidata |
| Languages | Arabic |
| Traffic | On the right |
| Region | Northern Africa, Africa |
| Status | Status disputed |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +212 |
| Codes | EH · ESH · 732 |
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Western Sahara’s area, lit up on the map →
- Gabon0.99×Western Sahara and Gabon are almost exactly the same size.
- New Zealand0.99×Western Sahara and New Zealand are almost exactly the same size.
- Burkina Faso0.97×Western Sahara and Burkina Faso are almost exactly the same size.
- Ecuador1.03×Western Sahara is 3% larger than Ecuador.
- Guinea1.08×Western Sahara is 8% larger than Guinea.
- United Kingdom1.1×Western Sahara is 10% larger than United Kingdom.
How many times does Western Sahara fit into…
- Russia: about 64 times
- Canada: about 38 times
- United States: about 37 times
Neighbours
Questions about Western Sahara
- How big is Western Sahara?
- Western Sahara covers 266,000 km², which makes it number 78 of 235 countries and territories by area. About 612,000 people live there (2021), 2.3 per km².
- Is Western Sahara bigger than Gabon?
- Western Sahara and Gabon are almost exactly the same size. Western Sahara: 266,000 km²; Gabon: 267,667 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Western Sahara?
- Western Sahara lies close to the equator, so Mercator draws it at nearly its true size. It is the countries far from the equator that Mercator inflates.
- Which countries border Western Sahara?
- Western Sahara shares a land border with Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco.