Germany vs South Africa
South Africa is 3.41 times larger than Germany. Germany would fit into South Africa about 3.4 times.
GermanySouth AfricaGermany moved onto South Africa · Equal-area projection
0.29×
Germany is 0.29× the area of South Africa. Put the other way, South Africa is 3.41× the size of Germany.
| Germany | South Africa | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 357,588 km² | 1,221,037 km² |
| Population | 83,491,249 | 64,747,319 |
| Density | 233 / km² | 53 / km² |
| Capital | Berlin | Pretoria |
| Region | Western Europe | Southern Africa |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Neighbours | 9 | 6 |
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Germany sits at about 51°N and is stretched to 2.53× its true area; South Africa at 29° S is stretched to 1.31×. That difference is why Germany looks so much bigger than it is next to South Africa. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Germany bigger than South Africa?
- No. Germany is 3.41 times smaller than South Africa. Germany covers 357,588 km² and South Africa covers 1,221,037 km².
- How many times does Germany fit into South Africa?
- About 3.4 times: South Africa has 3.41× the area of Germany.
- Why do Germany and South Africa look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Germany is drawn about 2.53× its true area there and South Africa about 1.31×. That is why Germany looks so much bigger than it really is next to South Africa. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Germany or South Africa?
- Germany: 83,491,249 people against 64,747,319. Density: Germany 233 per km², South Africa 53 per km².