Belgium vs New Caledonia
Belgium is 65% larger than New Caledonia. New Caledonia would fit into Belgium about 1.7 times.
BelgiumNew CaledoniaBelgium moved onto New Caledonia · Equal-area projection
1.65×
Belgium is 1.65× the area of New Caledonia.
| Belgium | New Caledonia | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 30,688 km² | 18,576 km² |
| Population | 11,941,781 | 295,333 |
| Density | 389 / km² | 16 / km² |
| Capital | Brussels | Noum'ea |
| Region | Western Europe | Melanesia |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Neighbours | 4 | 0 |
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Belgium sits at about 51°N and is stretched to 2.49× its true area; New Caledonia at 21° S is stretched to 1.15×. That difference is why Belgium looks so much bigger than it is next to New Caledonia. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Belgium bigger than New Caledonia?
- Yes. Belgium is 65% larger than New Caledonia. Belgium covers 30,688 km² and New Caledonia covers 18,576 km².
- How many times does New Caledonia fit into Belgium?
- About 1.7 times: Belgium has 1.65× the area of New Caledonia.
- Why do Belgium and New Caledonia look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Belgium is drawn about 2.49× its true area there and New Caledonia about 1.15×. That is why Belgium looks so much bigger than it really is next to New Caledonia. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Belgium or New Caledonia?
- Belgium: 11,941,781 people against 295,333. Density: Belgium 389 per km², New Caledonia 16 per km².