Finland vs Western Sahara
Finland is 27% larger than Western Sahara.
FinlandWestern SaharaFinland moved onto Western Sahara · Equal-area projection
1.27×
Finland is 1.27× the area of Western Sahara.
| Finland | Western Sahara | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 338,478 km² | 266,000 km² |
| Population | 5,646,436 | 612,000 |
| Density | 17 / km² | 2.3 / km² |
| Capital | Helsinki | — |
| Region | Northern Europe | Northern Africa |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Neighbours | 3 | 3 |
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Finland sits at about 64°N and is stretched to 5.3× its true area; Western Sahara at 24° N is stretched to 1.2×. That difference is why Finland looks so much bigger than it is next to Western Sahara. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Finland bigger than Western Sahara?
- Yes. Finland is 27% larger than Western Sahara. Finland covers 338,478 km² and Western Sahara covers 266,000 km².
- How many times does Western Sahara fit into Finland?
- About 1.3 times: Finland has 1.27× the area of Western Sahara.
- Why do Finland and Western Sahara look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Finland is drawn about 5.3× its true area there and Western Sahara about 1.2×. That is why Finland looks so much bigger than it really is next to Western Sahara. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Finland or Western Sahara?
- Finland: 5,646,436 people against 612,000. Density: Finland 17 per km², Western Sahara 2.3 per km².