Heard and McDonald Islands vs Nauru

Heard and McDonald Islands is 17.5 times larger than Nauru. Nauru would fit into Heard and McDonald Islands about 18 times.

Heard and McDonald IslandsNauruHeard and McDonald Islands moved onto Nauru · Equal-area projection
17.5×
Heard and McDonald Islands is 17.5× the area of Nauru.
Heard and McDonald IslandsNauru
Area368 km²21 km²
Population12,025
Density573 / km²
CapitalYaren District
RegionSeven seas (open ocean)Micronesia
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; Nauru at 1° S is stretched to 1.0×. That difference is why Heard and McDonald Islands looks so much bigger than it is next to Nauru. 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 Nauru?
Yes. Heard and McDonald Islands is 17.5 times larger than Nauru. Heard and McDonald Islands covers 368 km² and Nauru covers 21 km².
How many times does Nauru fit into Heard and McDonald Islands?
About 18 times: Heard and McDonald Islands has 17.5× the area of Nauru.
Why do Heard and McDonald Islands and Nauru 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 Nauru about 1.0×. That is why Heard and McDonald Islands looks so much bigger than it really is next to Nauru. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.