British Virgin Islands vs Heard and McDonald Islands
Heard and McDonald Islands is 2.44 times larger than British Virgin Islands. British Virgin Islands would fit into Heard and McDonald Islands about 2.4 times.
British Virgin IslandsHeard and McDonald IslandsBritish Virgin Islands moved onto Heard and McDonald Islands · Equal-area projection
0.41×
British Virgin Islands is 0.41× the area of Heard and McDonald Islands. Put the other way, Heard and McDonald Islands is 2.44× the size of British Virgin Islands.
| British Virgin Islands | Heard and McDonald Islands | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 151 km² | 368 km² |
| Population | 39,732 | — |
| Density | 263 / km² | — |
| Capital | Road Town | — |
| Region | Caribbean | Seven seas (open ocean) |
| 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. British Virgin Islands sits at about 19°N and is stretched to 1.11× 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 British Virgin Islands. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is British Virgin Islands bigger than Heard and McDonald Islands?
- No. British Virgin Islands is 2.44 times smaller than Heard and McDonald Islands. British Virgin Islands covers 151 km² and Heard and McDonald Islands covers 368 km².
- How many times does British Virgin Islands fit into Heard and McDonald Islands?
- About 2.4 times: Heard and McDonald Islands has 2.44× the area of British Virgin Islands.
- Why do British Virgin Islands and Heard and McDonald Islands look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. British Virgin Islands is drawn about 1.11× 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 British Virgin Islands. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.