French Polynesia vs Samoa
French Polynesia is 47% larger than Samoa.
French PolynesiaSamoaFrench Polynesia moved onto Samoa · Equal-area projection
1.47×
French Polynesia is 1.47× the area of Samoa.
| French Polynesia | Samoa | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 4,167 km² | 2,842 km² |
| Population | 282,465 | 219,306 |
| Density | 68 / km² | 77 / km² |
| Capital | Papeete | Apia |
| Region | Polynesia | Polynesia |
| 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; Samoa at 14° S is stretched to 1.06×. 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 French Polynesia bigger than Samoa?
- Yes. French Polynesia is 47% larger than Samoa. French Polynesia covers 4,167 km² and Samoa covers 2,842 km².
- How many times does Samoa fit into French Polynesia?
- About 1.5 times: French Polynesia has 1.47× the area of Samoa.
- Why do French Polynesia and Samoa 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 Samoa about 1.06×. 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, French Polynesia or Samoa?
- French Polynesia: 282,465 people against 219,306. Density: French Polynesia 68 per km², Samoa 77 per km².