Belarus vs Western Sahara
Western Sahara is 28% larger than Belarus.
BelarusWestern SaharaBelarus moved onto Western Sahara · Equal-area projection
0.78×
Belarus is 0.78× the area of Western Sahara. Put the other way, Western Sahara is 1.28× the size of Belarus.
| Belarus | Western Sahara | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 207,597 km² | 266,000 km² |
| Population | 9,085,991 | 612,000 |
| Density | 44 / km² | 2.3 / km² |
| Capital | Minsk | — |
| Region | Eastern Europe | Northern Africa |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Neighbours | 5 | 3 |
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Belarus sits at about 54°N and is stretched to 2.83× its true area; Western Sahara at 24° N is stretched to 1.2×. That difference is why Belarus 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 Belarus bigger than Western Sahara?
- No. Belarus is 22% smaller than Western Sahara. Belarus covers 207,597 km² and Western Sahara covers 266,000 km².
- How many times does Belarus fit into Western Sahara?
- About 1.3 times: Western Sahara has 1.28× the area of Belarus.
- Why do Belarus and Western Sahara look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Belarus is drawn about 2.83× its true area there and Western Sahara about 1.2×. That is why Belarus 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, Belarus or Western Sahara?
- Belarus: 9,085,991 people against 612,000. Density: Belarus 44 per km², Western Sahara 2.3 per km².