Åland Islands vs Western Sahara
Western Sahara is 168 times larger than Åland Islands. Åland Islands would fit into Western Sahara about 168 times.
Åland IslandsWestern SaharaÅland Islands moved onto Western Sahara · Equal-area projection
0.01×
Åland Islands is 0.01× the area of Western Sahara. Put the other way, Western Sahara is 168× the size of Åland Islands.
| Åland Islands | Western Sahara | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 1,583 km² | 266,000 km² |
| Population | 30,836 | 612,000 |
| Density | 19 / km² | 2.3 / km² |
| Capital | Mariehamn | — |
| Region | Northern Europe | Northern Africa |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Neighbours | 0 | 3 |
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; Western Sahara at 24° N is stretched to 1.2×. That difference is why Åland Islands looks so much bigger than it is next to Western Sahara. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Åland Islands bigger than Western Sahara?
- No. Åland Islands is 168 times smaller than Western Sahara. Åland Islands covers 1,583 km² and Western Sahara covers 266,000 km².
- How many times does Åland Islands fit into Western Sahara?
- About 168 times: Western Sahara has 168× the area of Åland Islands.
- Why do Åland Islands and Western Sahara 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 Western Sahara about 1.2×. That is why Åland Islands looks so much bigger than it really is next to Western Sahara. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Åland Islands or Western Sahara?
- Western Sahara: 612,000 people against 30,836. Density: Åland Islands 19 per km², Western Sahara 2.3 per km².