Belgium vs Western Sahara
Western Sahara is 8.67 times larger than Belgium. Belgium would fit into Western Sahara about 8.7 times.
BelgiumWestern SaharaBelgium moved onto Western Sahara · Equal-area projection
0.12×
Belgium is 0.12× the area of Western Sahara. Put the other way, Western Sahara is 8.67× the size of Belgium.
| Belgium | Western Sahara | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 30,688 km² | 266,000 km² |
| Population | 11,941,781 | 612,000 |
| Density | 389 / km² | 2.3 / km² |
| Capital | Brussels | — |
| Region | Western Europe | Northern Africa |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Neighbours | 4 | 3 |
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; Western Sahara at 24° N is stretched to 1.2×. That difference is why Belgium 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 Belgium bigger than Western Sahara?
- No. Belgium is 8.67 times smaller than Western Sahara. Belgium covers 30,688 km² and Western Sahara covers 266,000 km².
- How many times does Belgium fit into Western Sahara?
- About 8.7 times: Western Sahara has 8.67× the area of Belgium.
- Why do Belgium and Western Sahara 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 Western Sahara about 1.2×. That is why Belgium 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, Belgium or Western Sahara?
- Belgium: 11,941,781 people against 612,000. Density: Belgium 389 per km², Western Sahara 2.3 per km².