Heard and McDonald Islands vs Mauritius

Mauritius is 5.54 times larger than Heard and McDonald Islands. Heard and McDonald Islands would fit into Mauritius about 5.5 times.

Heard and McDonald IslandsMauritiusHeard and McDonald Islands moved onto Mauritius · Equal-area projection
0.18×
Heard and McDonald Islands is 0.18× the area of Mauritius. Put the other way, Mauritius is 5.54× the size of Heard and McDonald Islands.
Heard and McDonald IslandsMauritius
Area368 km²2,040 km²
Population1,243,741
Density610 / km²
CapitalPort Louis
RegionSeven seas (open ocean)Eastern Africa
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours00

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; Mauritius at 20° S is stretched to 1.14×. That difference is why Heard and McDonald Islands looks so much bigger than it is next to Mauritius. 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 Mauritius?
No. Heard and McDonald Islands is 5.54 times smaller than Mauritius. Heard and McDonald Islands covers 368 km² and Mauritius covers 2,040 km².
How many times does Heard and McDonald Islands fit into Mauritius?
About 5.5 times: Mauritius has 5.54× the area of Heard and McDonald Islands.
Why do Heard and McDonald Islands and Mauritius 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 Mauritius about 1.14×. That is why Heard and McDonald Islands looks so much bigger than it really is next to Mauritius. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.