Greenland vs South Africa
Greenland is 77% larger than South Africa. South Africa would fit into Greenland about 1.8 times.
GreenlandSouth AfricaGreenland moved onto South Africa · Equal-area projection
1.77×
Greenland is 1.77× the area of South Africa.
| Greenland | South Africa | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 2,166,086 km² | 1,221,037 km² |
| Population | 56,831 | 64,747,319 |
| Density | 0.03 / km² | 53 / km² |
| Capital | Nuuk | Pretoria |
| Region | Northern America | Southern Africa |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Neighbours | 0 | 6 |
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Greenland sits at about 73°N and is stretched to 11.8× its true area; South Africa at 29° S is stretched to 1.31×. That difference is why Greenland 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 Greenland bigger than South Africa?
- Yes. Greenland is 77% larger than South Africa. Greenland covers 2,166,086 km² and South Africa covers 1,221,037 km².
- How many times does South Africa fit into Greenland?
- About 1.8 times: Greenland has 1.77× the area of South Africa.
- Why do Greenland and South Africa look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Greenland is drawn about 11.8× its true area there and South Africa about 1.31×. That is why Greenland 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, Greenland or South Africa?
- South Africa: 64,747,319 people against 56,831. Density: Greenland 0.03 per km², South Africa 53 per km².