Botswana vs Heard and McDonald Islands

Botswana is 1,581 times larger than Heard and McDonald Islands. Heard and McDonald Islands would fit into Botswana about 1581 times.

BotswanaHeard and McDonald IslandsBotswana moved onto Heard and McDonald Islands · Equal-area projection
1,581×
Botswana is 1,581× the area of Heard and McDonald Islands.
BotswanaHeard and McDonald Islands
Area581,737 km²368 km²
Population2,562,122
Density4.4 / km²
CapitalGaborone
RegionSouthern AfricaSeven seas (open ocean)
CoastlineLandlockedHas a coast
Neighbours30

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Botswana sits at about 22°S and is stretched to 1.17× 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 Botswana. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.

Questions about this pair

Is Botswana bigger than Heard and McDonald Islands?
Yes. Botswana is 1,581 times larger than Heard and McDonald Islands. Botswana covers 581,737 km² and Heard and McDonald Islands covers 368 km².
How many times does Heard and McDonald Islands fit into Botswana?
About 1581 times: Botswana has 1,581× the area of Heard and McDonald Islands.
Why do Botswana and Heard and McDonald Islands look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Botswana is drawn about 1.17× 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 Botswana. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.