Greenland vs Western Sahara
Greenland is 8.14 times larger than Western Sahara. Western Sahara would fit into Greenland about 8.1 times.
GreenlandWestern SaharaGreenland moved onto Western Sahara · Equal-area projection
8.14×
Greenland is 8.14× the area of Western Sahara.
| Greenland | Western Sahara | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 2,166,086 km² | 266,000 km² |
| Population | 56,831 | 612,000 |
| Density | 0.03 / km² | 2.3 / km² |
| Capital | Nuuk | — |
| Region | Northern America | Northern Africa |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Neighbours | 0 | 3 |
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; Western Sahara at 24° N is stretched to 1.2×. That difference is why Greenland looks so much bigger than it is next to Western Sahara. 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 Western Sahara?
- Yes. Greenland is 8.14 times larger than Western Sahara. Greenland covers 2,166,086 km² and Western Sahara covers 266,000 km².
- How many times does Western Sahara fit into Greenland?
- About 8.1 times: Greenland has 8.14× the area of Western Sahara.
- Why do Greenland and Western Sahara 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 Western Sahara about 1.2×. That is why Greenland looks so much bigger than it really is next to Western Sahara. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Greenland or Western Sahara?
- Western Sahara: 612,000 people against 56,831. Density: Greenland 0.03 per km², Western Sahara 2.3 per km².