Cayman Islands vs Heard and McDonald Islands

Heard and McDonald Islands is 39% larger than Cayman Islands.

Cayman IslandsHeard and McDonald IslandsCayman Islands moved onto Heard and McDonald Islands · Equal-area projection
0.72×
Cayman Islands is 0.72× the area of Heard and McDonald Islands. Put the other way, Heard and McDonald Islands is 1.39× the size of Cayman Islands.
Cayman IslandsHeard and McDonald Islands
Area264 km²368 km²
Population75,844
Density287 / km²
CapitalGeorge Town
RegionCaribbeanSeven seas (open ocean)
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours00

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Cayman Islands sits at about 19°N and is stretched to 1.12× 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 Cayman Islands. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.

Questions about this pair

Is Cayman Islands bigger than Heard and McDonald Islands?
No. Cayman Islands is 28% smaller than Heard and McDonald Islands. Cayman Islands covers 264 km² and Heard and McDonald Islands covers 368 km².
How many times does Cayman Islands fit into Heard and McDonald Islands?
About 1.4 times: Heard and McDonald Islands has 1.39× the area of Cayman Islands.
Why do Cayman 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. Cayman Islands is drawn about 1.12× 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 Cayman Islands. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.