Afghanistan vs Heard and McDonald Islands

Afghanistan is 1,772 times larger than Heard and McDonald Islands. Heard and McDonald Islands would fit into Afghanistan about 1772 times.

AfghanistanHeard and McDonald IslandsAfghanistan moved onto Heard and McDonald Islands · Equal-area projection
1,772×
Afghanistan is 1,772× the area of Heard and McDonald Islands.
AfghanistanHeard and McDonald Islands
Area652,230 km²368 km²
Population43,844,111
Density67 / km²
CapitalKabul
RegionSouthern AsiaSeven seas (open ocean)
CoastlineLandlockedHas a coast
Neighbours60

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Afghanistan sits at about 34°N and is stretched to 1.45× its true area; Heard and McDonald Islands at 53° S is stretched to 2.77×. That difference is why Heard and McDonald Islands looks so much bigger than it is next to Afghanistan. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.

Questions about this pair

Is Afghanistan bigger than Heard and McDonald Islands?
Yes. Afghanistan is 1,772 times larger than Heard and McDonald Islands. Afghanistan covers 652,230 km² and Heard and McDonald Islands covers 368 km².
How many times does Heard and McDonald Islands fit into Afghanistan?
About 1772 times: Afghanistan has 1,772× the area of Heard and McDonald Islands.
Why do Afghanistan and Heard and McDonald Islands look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Afghanistan is drawn about 1.45× its true area there and Heard and McDonald Islands about 2.77×. That is why Heard and McDonald Islands looks so much bigger than it really is next to Afghanistan. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.