French Southern and Antarctic Lands vs Heard and McDonald Islands
French Southern and Antarctic Lands is 21.3 times larger than Heard and McDonald Islands. Heard and McDonald Islands would fit into French Southern and Antarctic Lands about 21 times.
French Southern and Antarctic LandsHeard and McDonald IslandsFrench Southern and Antarctic Lands moved onto Heard and McDonald Islands · Equal-area projection
21.3×
French Southern and Antarctic Lands is 21.3× the area of Heard and McDonald Islands.
| French Southern and Antarctic Lands | Heard and McDonald Islands | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 7,829 km² | 368 km² |
| Population | 196 | — |
| Density | 0.03 / km² | — |
| Capital | Port-aux-Français | — |
| Region | Seven seas (open ocean) | 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 Southern and Antarctic Lands sits at about 49°S and is stretched to 2.35× its true area; Heard and McDonald Islands at 53° S is stretched to 2.77×. 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 Southern and Antarctic Lands bigger than Heard and McDonald Islands?
- Yes. French Southern and Antarctic Lands is 21.3 times larger than Heard and McDonald Islands. French Southern and Antarctic Lands covers 7,829 km² and Heard and McDonald Islands covers 368 km².
- How many times does Heard and McDonald Islands fit into French Southern and Antarctic Lands?
- About 21 times: French Southern and Antarctic Lands has 21.3× the area of Heard and McDonald Islands.
- Why do French Southern and Antarctic Lands 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 Southern and Antarctic Lands is drawn about 2.35× its true area there and Heard and McDonald Islands about 2.77×. 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.