Bulgaria vs Iceland

Bulgaria is 8% larger than Iceland.

BulgariaIcelandBulgaria moved onto Iceland · Equal-area projection
1.08×
Bulgaria is 1.08× the area of Iceland.
BulgariaIceland
Area110,994 km²103,004 km²
Population6,433,302392,404
Density58 / km²3.8 / km²
CapitalSofiaReykjavik
RegionEastern EuropeNorthern Europe
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours50

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Bulgaria sits at about 43°N and is stretched to 1.86× its true area; Iceland at 65° N is stretched to 5.6×. That difference is why Iceland looks so much bigger than it is next to Bulgaria. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.

Questions about this pair

Is Bulgaria bigger than Iceland?
Yes. Bulgaria is 8% larger than Iceland. Bulgaria covers 110,994 km² and Iceland covers 103,004 km².
How many times does Iceland fit into Bulgaria?
About 1.1 times: Bulgaria has 1.08× the area of Iceland.
Why do Bulgaria and Iceland look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Bulgaria is drawn about 1.86× its true area there and Iceland about 5.6×. That is why Iceland looks so much bigger than it really is next to Bulgaria. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Which has more people, Bulgaria or Iceland?
Bulgaria: 6,433,302 people against 392,404. Density: Bulgaria 58 per km², Iceland 3.8 per km².