Guam vs Heard and McDonald Islands
Guam is 48% larger than Heard and McDonald Islands.
GuamHeard and McDonald IslandsGuam moved onto Heard and McDonald Islands · Equal-area projection
1.48×
Guam is 1.48× the area of Heard and McDonald Islands.
| Guam | Heard and McDonald Islands | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 544 km² | 368 km² |
| Population | 168,999 | — |
| Density | 311 / km² | — |
| Capital | Agana | — |
| Region | Micronesia | 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. Guam 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 Guam. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Guam bigger than Heard and McDonald Islands?
- Yes. Guam is 48% larger than Heard and McDonald Islands. Guam covers 544 km² and Heard and McDonald Islands covers 368 km².
- How many times does Heard and McDonald Islands fit into Guam?
- About 1.5 times: Guam has 1.48× the area of Heard and McDonald Islands.
- Why do Guam and Heard and McDonald Islands look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Guam 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 Guam. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.