Bulgaria vs Western Sahara
Western Sahara is 2.4 times larger than Bulgaria. Bulgaria would fit into Western Sahara about 2.4 times.
BulgariaWestern SaharaBulgaria moved onto Western Sahara · Equal-area projection
0.42×
Bulgaria is 0.42× the area of Western Sahara. Put the other way, Western Sahara is 2.4× the size of Bulgaria.
| Bulgaria | Western Sahara | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 110,994 km² | 266,000 km² |
| Population | 6,433,302 | 612,000 |
| Density | 58 / km² | 2.3 / km² |
| Capital | Sofia | — |
| Region | Eastern Europe | Northern Africa |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Neighbours | 5 | 3 |
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; Western Sahara at 24° N is stretched to 1.2×. That difference is why Bulgaria 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 Bulgaria bigger than Western Sahara?
- No. Bulgaria is 2.4 times smaller than Western Sahara. Bulgaria covers 110,994 km² and Western Sahara covers 266,000 km².
- How many times does Bulgaria fit into Western Sahara?
- About 2.4 times: Western Sahara has 2.4× the area of Bulgaria.
- Why do Bulgaria and Western Sahara 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 Western Sahara about 1.2×. That is why Bulgaria 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, Bulgaria or Western Sahara?
- Bulgaria: 6,433,302 people against 612,000. Density: Bulgaria 58 per km², Western Sahara 2.3 per km².