Chagos Islands vs Switzerland

Switzerland is 688 times larger than Chagos Islands. Chagos Islands would fit into Switzerland about 688 times.

Chagos IslandsSwitzerlandChagos Islands moved onto Switzerland · Equal-area projection
0.0×
Chagos Islands is 0.0× the area of Switzerland. Put the other way, Switzerland is 688× the size of Chagos Islands.
Chagos IslandsSwitzerland
Area60 km²41,291 km²
Population3,0009,092,436
Density50 / km²220 / km²
CapitalDiego GarciaBern
RegionSeven seas (open ocean)Western Europe
CoastlineHas a coastLandlocked
Neighbours05

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; Switzerland at 47° N is stretched to 2.13×. That difference is why Switzerland 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 Switzerland?
No. Chagos Islands is 688 times smaller than Switzerland. Chagos Islands covers 60 km² and Switzerland covers 41,291 km².
How many times does Chagos Islands fit into Switzerland?
About 688 times: Switzerland has 688× the area of Chagos Islands.
Why do Chagos Islands and Switzerland 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 Switzerland about 2.13×. That is why Switzerland 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 Switzerland?
Switzerland: 9,092,436 people against 3,000. Density: Chagos Islands 50 per km², Switzerland 220 per km².