Chagos Islands vs Luxembourg

Luxembourg is 43.2 times larger than Chagos Islands. Chagos Islands would fit into Luxembourg about 43 times.

Chagos IslandsLuxembourgChagos Islands moved onto Luxembourg · Equal-area projection
0.02×
Chagos Islands is 0.02× the area of Luxembourg. Put the other way, Luxembourg is 43.2× the size of Chagos Islands.
Chagos IslandsLuxembourg
Area60 km²2,593 km²
Population3,000686,970
Density50 / km²265 / km²
CapitalDiego GarciaLuxembourg
RegionSeven seas (open ocean)Western Europe
CoastlineHas a coastLandlocked
Neighbours03

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; Luxembourg at 50° N is stretched to 2.4×. That difference is why Luxembourg 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 Luxembourg?
No. Chagos Islands is 43.2 times smaller than Luxembourg. Chagos Islands covers 60 km² and Luxembourg covers 2,593 km².
How many times does Chagos Islands fit into Luxembourg?
About 43 times: Luxembourg has 43.2× the area of Chagos Islands.
Why do Chagos Islands and Luxembourg 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 Luxembourg about 2.4×. That is why Luxembourg 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.
Which has more people, Chagos Islands or Luxembourg?
Luxembourg: 686,970 people against 3,000. Density: Chagos Islands 50 per km², Luxembourg 265 per km².