France vs Western Sahara
France is 2.42 times larger than Western Sahara. Western Sahara would fit into France about 2.4 times.
FranceWestern SaharaFrance moved onto Western Sahara · Equal-area projection
2.42×
France is 2.42× the area of Western Sahara.
| France | Western Sahara | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 643,801 km² | 266,000 km² |
| Population | 68,720,337 | 612,000 |
| Density | 107 / km² | 2.3 / km² |
| Capital | Paris | — |
| Region | Western Europe | Northern Africa |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Neighbours | 10 | 3 |
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; Western Sahara at 24° N is stretched to 1.2×. That difference is why France 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 France bigger than Western Sahara?
- Yes. France is 2.42 times larger than Western Sahara. France covers 643,801 km² and Western Sahara covers 266,000 km².
- How many times does Western Sahara fit into France?
- About 2.4 times: France has 2.42× the area of Western Sahara.
- Why do France and Western Sahara 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 Western Sahara about 1.2×. That is why France 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, France or Western Sahara?
- France: 68,720,337 people against 612,000. Density: France 107 per km², Western Sahara 2.3 per km².