Chagos Islands vs Heard and McDonald Islands
Heard and McDonald Islands is 6.13 times larger than Chagos Islands. Chagos Islands would fit into Heard and McDonald Islands about 6.1 times.
Chagos IslandsHeard and McDonald IslandsChagos Islands moved onto Heard and McDonald Islands · Equal-area projection
0.16×
Chagos Islands is 0.16× the area of Heard and McDonald Islands. Put the other way, Heard and McDonald Islands is 6.13× the size of Chagos Islands.
| Chagos Islands | Heard and McDonald Islands | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 60 km² | 368 km² |
| Population | 3,000 | — |
| Density | 50 / km² | — |
| Capital | Diego Garcia | — |
| Region | Seven seas (open ocean) | 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. Chagos Islands sits at about 7°S and is stretched to 1.02× 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 Chagos Islands. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Chagos Islands bigger than Heard and McDonald Islands?
- No. Chagos Islands is 6.13 times smaller than Heard and McDonald Islands. Chagos Islands covers 60 km² and Heard and McDonald Islands covers 368 km².
- How many times does Chagos Islands fit into Heard and McDonald Islands?
- About 6.1 times: Heard and McDonald Islands has 6.13× the area of Chagos Islands.
- Why do Chagos 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. Chagos Islands is drawn about 1.02× 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 Chagos Islands. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.