French Polynesia vs Heard and McDonald Islands
French Polynesia is 11.3 times larger than Heard and McDonald Islands. Heard and McDonald Islands would fit into French Polynesia about 11 times.
French PolynesiaHeard and McDonald IslandsFrench Polynesia moved onto Heard and McDonald Islands · Equal-area projection
11.3×
French Polynesia is 11.3× the area of Heard and McDonald Islands.
| French Polynesia | Heard and McDonald Islands | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 4,167 km² | 368 km² |
| Population | 282,465 | — |
| Density | 68 / km² | — |
| Capital | Papeete | — |
| Region | Polynesia | Seven seas (open ocean) |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Neighbours | 0 | 0 |
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. French Polynesia sits at about 15°S and is stretched to 1.07× its true area; Heard and McDonald Islands at 53° S is stretched to 2.77×. That difference is why Heard and McDonald Islands looks so much bigger than it is next to French Polynesia. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is French Polynesia bigger than Heard and McDonald Islands?
- Yes. French Polynesia is 11.3 times larger than Heard and McDonald Islands. French Polynesia covers 4,167 km² and Heard and McDonald Islands covers 368 km².
- How many times does Heard and McDonald Islands fit into French Polynesia?
- About 11 times: French Polynesia has 11.3× the area of Heard and McDonald Islands.
- Why do French Polynesia and Heard and McDonald Islands look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. French Polynesia is drawn about 1.07× its true area there and Heard and McDonald Islands about 2.77×. That is why Heard and McDonald Islands looks so much bigger than it really is next to French Polynesia. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.