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Åland Islands vs Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea is 292 times larger than Åland Islands. Åland Islands would fit into Papua New Guinea about 292 times.

Åland IslandsPapua New GuineaÅland Islands moved onto Papua New Guinea · Equal-area projection
0.0×
Åland Islands is 0.0× the area of Papua New Guinea. Put the other way, Papua New Guinea is 292× the size of Åland Islands.
Åland IslandsPapua New Guinea
Area1,583 km²462,840 km²
Population30,83610,762,817
Density19 / km²23 / km²
CapitalMariehamnPort Moresby
RegionNorthern EuropeMelanesia
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours01

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Åland Islands sits at about 60°N and is stretched to 4.05× its true area; Papua New Guinea at 6° S is stretched to 1.01×. That difference is why Åland Islands looks so much bigger than it is next to Papua New Guinea. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.

Open in the atlasLay Papua New Guinea over Åland Islands

Questions about this pair

Is Åland Islands bigger than Papua New Guinea?
No. Åland Islands is 292 times smaller than Papua New Guinea. Åland Islands covers 1,583 km² and Papua New Guinea covers 462,840 km².
How many times does Åland Islands fit into Papua New Guinea?
About 292 times: Papua New Guinea has 292× the area of Åland Islands.
Why do Åland Islands and Papua New Guinea look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Åland Islands is drawn about 4.05× its true area there and Papua New Guinea about 1.01×. That is why Åland Islands looks so much bigger than it really is next to Papua New Guinea. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Which has more people, Åland Islands or Papua New Guinea?
Papua New Guinea: 10,762,817 people against 30,836. Density: Åland Islands 19 per km², Papua New Guinea 23 per km².
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