Heard and McDonald Islands vs Northern Mariana Islands
Northern Mariana Islands is 26% larger than Heard and McDonald Islands.
Heard and McDonald IslandsNorthern Mariana IslandsHeard and McDonald Islands moved onto Northern Mariana Islands · Equal-area projection
0.79×
Heard and McDonald Islands is 0.79× the area of Northern Mariana Islands. Put the other way, Northern Mariana Islands is 1.26× the size of Heard and McDonald Islands.
| Heard and McDonald Islands | Northern Mariana Islands | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 368 km² | 464 km² |
| Population | — | 43,541 |
| Density | — | 94 / km² |
| Capital | — | Saipan |
| Region | Seven seas (open ocean) | Micronesia |
| 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. Heard and McDonald Islands sits at about 53°S and is stretched to 2.77× its true area; Northern Mariana Islands at 16° N is stretched to 1.08×. That difference is why Heard and McDonald Islands looks so much bigger than it is next to Northern Mariana Islands. 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 Northern Mariana Islands?
- No. Heard and McDonald Islands is 21% smaller than Northern Mariana Islands. Heard and McDonald Islands covers 368 km² and Northern Mariana Islands covers 464 km².
- How many times does Heard and McDonald Islands fit into Northern Mariana Islands?
- About 1.3 times: Northern Mariana Islands has 1.26× the area of Heard and McDonald Islands.
- Why do Heard and McDonald Islands and Northern Mariana Islands 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 Northern Mariana Islands about 1.08×. That is why Heard and McDonald Islands looks so much bigger than it really is next to Northern Mariana Islands. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.