Antarctica vs Australia
Antarctica is 82% larger than Australia. Australia would fit into Antarctica about 1.8 times.
AntarcticaAustraliaAntarctica moved onto Australia · Equal-area projection
1.82×
Antarctica is 1.82× the area of Australia.
| Antarctica | Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 14,000,000 km² | 7,692,024 km² |
| Population | 4,400 | 27,614,411 |
| Density | 0.00 / km² | 3.6 / km² |
| Capital | — | Canberra |
| Region | Antarctica | Australia and New Zealand |
| 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. Antarctica sits at about 85°S and is stretched to 129× its true area; Australia at 26° S is stretched to 1.23×. That difference is why Antarctica looks so much bigger than it is next to Australia. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Antarctica bigger than Australia?
- Yes. Antarctica is 82% larger than Australia. Antarctica covers 14,000,000 km² and Australia covers 7,692,024 km².
- How many times does Australia fit into Antarctica?
- About 1.8 times: Antarctica has 1.82× the area of Australia.
- Why do Antarctica and Australia look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Antarctica is drawn about 129× its true area there and Australia about 1.23×. That is why Antarctica looks so much bigger than it really is next to Australia. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Antarctica or Australia?
- Australia: 27,614,411 people against 4,400. Density: Antarctica 0.00 per km², Australia 3.6 per km².