Cook Islands vs Norfolk Island

Cook Islands is 6.86 times larger than Norfolk Island. Norfolk Island would fit into Cook Islands about 6.9 times.

Cook IslandsNorfolk IslandCook Islands moved onto Norfolk Island · Equal-area projection
6.86×
Cook Islands is 6.86× the area of Norfolk Island.
Cook IslandsNorfolk Island
Area240 km²35 km²
Population14,2222,188
Density59 / km²63 / km²
CapitalAvaruaKingston
RegionPolynesiaAustralia and New Zealand
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. Cook Islands sits at about 21°S and is stretched to 1.15× its true area; Norfolk Island at 29° S is stretched to 1.31×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.

Questions about this pair

Is Cook Islands bigger than Norfolk Island?
Yes. Cook Islands is 6.86 times larger than Norfolk Island. Cook Islands covers 240 km² and Norfolk Island covers 35 km².
How many times does Norfolk Island fit into Cook Islands?
About 6.9 times: Cook Islands has 6.86× the area of Norfolk Island.
Why do Cook Islands and Norfolk Island look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Cook Islands is drawn about 1.15× its true area there and Norfolk Island about 1.31×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Which has more people, Cook Islands or Norfolk Island?
Cook Islands: 14,222 people against 2,188. Density: Cook Islands 59 per km², Norfolk Island 63 per km².