France vs South Africa
South Africa is 90% larger than France. France would fit into South Africa about 1.9 times.
FranceSouth AfricaFrance moved onto South Africa · Equal-area projection
0.53×
France is 0.53× the area of South Africa. Put the other way, South Africa is 1.9× the size of France.
| France | South Africa | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 643,801 km² | 1,221,037 km² |
| Population | 68,720,337 | 64,747,319 |
| Density | 107 / km² | 53 / km² |
| Capital | Paris | Pretoria |
| Region | Western Europe | Southern Africa |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Neighbours | 10 | 6 |
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. France sits at about 43°N and is stretched to 1.87× its true area; South Africa at 29° S is stretched to 1.31×. That difference is why France looks so much bigger than it is next to South Africa. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is France bigger than South Africa?
- No. France is 47% smaller than South Africa. France covers 643,801 km² and South Africa covers 1,221,037 km².
- How many times does France fit into South Africa?
- About 1.9 times: South Africa has 1.9× the area of France.
- Why do France and South Africa look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. France is drawn about 1.87× its true area there and South Africa about 1.31×. That is why France looks so much bigger than it really is next to South Africa. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, France or South Africa?
- France: 68,720,337 people against 64,747,319. Density: France 107 per km², South Africa 53 per km².