Heard and McDonald Islands vs Laos

Laos is 643 times larger than Heard and McDonald Islands. Heard and McDonald Islands would fit into Laos about 643 times.

Heard and McDonald IslandsLaosHeard and McDonald Islands moved onto Laos · Equal-area projection
0.0×
Heard and McDonald Islands is 0.0× the area of Laos. Put the other way, Laos is 643× the size of Heard and McDonald Islands.
Heard and McDonald IslandsLaos
Area368 km²236,800 km²
Population7,873,046
Density33 / km²
CapitalVientiane
RegionSeven seas (open ocean)South-Eastern Asia
CoastlineHas a coastLandlocked
Neighbours05

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Heard and McDonald Islands sits at about 53°S and is stretched to 2.77× its true area; Laos at 18° N is stretched to 1.11×. That difference is why Heard and McDonald Islands looks so much bigger than it is next to Laos. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.

Questions about this pair

Is Heard and McDonald Islands bigger than Laos?
No. Heard and McDonald Islands is 643 times smaller than Laos. Heard and McDonald Islands covers 368 km² and Laos covers 236,800 km².
How many times does Heard and McDonald Islands fit into Laos?
About 643 times: Laos has 643× the area of Heard and McDonald Islands.
Why do Heard and McDonald Islands and Laos look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Heard and McDonald Islands is drawn about 2.77× its true area there and Laos about 1.11×. That is why Heard and McDonald Islands looks so much bigger than it really is next to Laos. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.