Heard and McDonald Islands vs Syria

Syria is 503 times larger than Heard and McDonald Islands. Heard and McDonald Islands would fit into Syria about 503 times.

Heard and McDonald IslandsSyriaHeard and McDonald Islands moved onto Syria · Equal-area projection
0.0×
Heard and McDonald Islands is 0.0× the area of Syria. Put the other way, Syria is 503× the size of Heard and McDonald Islands.
Heard and McDonald IslandsSyria
Area368 km²185,180 km²
Population25,620,427
Density138 / km²
CapitalDamascus
RegionSeven seas (open ocean)Western Asia
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
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; Syria at 35° N is stretched to 1.49×. That difference is why Heard and McDonald Islands looks so much bigger than it is next to Syria. 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 Syria?
No. Heard and McDonald Islands is 503 times smaller than Syria. Heard and McDonald Islands covers 368 km² and Syria covers 185,180 km².
How many times does Heard and McDonald Islands fit into Syria?
About 503 times: Syria has 503× the area of Heard and McDonald Islands.
Why do Heard and McDonald Islands and Syria 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 Syria about 1.49×. That is why Heard and McDonald Islands looks so much bigger than it really is next to Syria. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.