Heard and McDonald Islands vs Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is 178 times larger than Heard and McDonald Islands. Heard and McDonald Islands would fit into Sri Lanka about 178 times.

Heard and McDonald IslandsSri LankaHeard and McDonald Islands moved onto Sri Lanka · Equal-area projection
0.01×
Heard and McDonald Islands is 0.01× the area of Sri Lanka. Put the other way, Sri Lanka is 178× the size of Heard and McDonald Islands.
Heard and McDonald IslandsSri Lanka
Area368 km²65,610 km²
Population21,756,000
Density332 / km²
CapitalColombo
RegionSeven seas (open ocean)Southern Asia
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; Sri Lanka at 8° N is stretched to 1.02×. That difference is why Heard and McDonald Islands looks so much bigger than it is next to Sri Lanka. 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 Sri Lanka?
No. Heard and McDonald Islands is 178 times smaller than Sri Lanka. Heard and McDonald Islands covers 368 km² and Sri Lanka covers 65,610 km².
How many times does Heard and McDonald Islands fit into Sri Lanka?
About 178 times: Sri Lanka has 178× the area of Heard and McDonald Islands.
Why do Heard and McDonald Islands and Sri Lanka 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 Sri Lanka about 1.02×. That is why Heard and McDonald Islands looks so much bigger than it really is next to Sri Lanka. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.