Chagos Islands vs Malta

Malta is 5.27 times larger than Chagos Islands. Chagos Islands would fit into Malta about 5.3 times.

Chagos IslandsMaltaChagos Islands moved onto Malta · Equal-area projection
0.19×
Chagos Islands is 0.19× the area of Malta. Put the other way, Malta is 5.27× the size of Chagos Islands.
Chagos IslandsMalta
Area60 km²316 km²
Population3,000579,704
Density50 / km²1,835 / km²
CapitalDiego GarciaValletta
RegionSeven seas (open ocean)Southern Europe
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. Chagos Islands sits at about 7°S and is stretched to 1.02× its true area; Malta at 36° N is stretched to 1.52×. That difference is why Malta 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 Malta?
No. Chagos Islands is 5.27 times smaller than Malta. Chagos Islands covers 60 km² and Malta covers 316 km².
How many times does Chagos Islands fit into Malta?
About 5.3 times: Malta has 5.27× the area of Chagos Islands.
Why do Chagos Islands and Malta 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 Malta about 1.52×. That is why Malta 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 Malta?
Malta: 579,704 people against 3,000. Density: Chagos Islands 50 per km², Malta 1,835 per km².