Gambia vs Heard and McDonald Islands

Gambia is 30.7 times larger than Heard and McDonald Islands. Heard and McDonald Islands would fit into Gambia about 31 times.

GambiaHeard and McDonald IslandsGambia moved onto Heard and McDonald Islands · Equal-area projection
30.7×
Gambia is 30.7× the area of Heard and McDonald Islands.
GambiaHeard and McDonald Islands
Area11,300 km²368 km²
Population2,822,093
Density250 / km²
CapitalBanjul
RegionWestern AfricaSeven seas (open ocean)
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours10

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Gambia sits at about 13°N and is stretched to 1.06× 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 Gambia. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.

Questions about this pair

Is Gambia bigger than Heard and McDonald Islands?
Yes. Gambia is 30.7 times larger than Heard and McDonald Islands. Gambia covers 11,300 km² and Heard and McDonald Islands covers 368 km².
How many times does Heard and McDonald Islands fit into Gambia?
About 31 times: Gambia has 30.7× the area of Heard and McDonald Islands.
Why do Gambia and Heard and McDonald Islands look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Gambia is drawn about 1.06× 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 Gambia. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.