American Samoa vs Heard and McDonald Islands
Heard and McDonald Islands is 85% larger than American Samoa. American Samoa would fit into Heard and McDonald Islands about 1.8 times.
American SamoaHeard and McDonald IslandsAmerican Samoa moved onto Heard and McDonald Islands · Equal-area projection
0.54×
American Samoa is 0.54× the area of Heard and McDonald Islands. Put the other way, Heard and McDonald Islands is 1.85× the size of American Samoa.
| American Samoa | Heard and McDonald Islands | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 199 km² | 368 km² |
| Population | 46,029 | — |
| Density | 231 / km² | — |
| Capital | Pago Pago | — |
| Region | Polynesia | Seven seas (open ocean) |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Neighbours | 0 | 0 |
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. American Samoa sits at about 14°S and is stretched to 1.06× 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 American Samoa. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is American Samoa bigger than Heard and McDonald Islands?
- No. American Samoa is 46% smaller than Heard and McDonald Islands. American Samoa covers 199 km² and Heard and McDonald Islands covers 368 km².
- How many times does American Samoa fit into Heard and McDonald Islands?
- About 1.8 times: Heard and McDonald Islands has 1.85× the area of American Samoa.
- Why do American Samoa and Heard and McDonald Islands look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. American Samoa is drawn about 1.06× 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 American Samoa. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.