Heard and McDonald Islands vs Tonga
Tonga is 2.04 times larger than Heard and McDonald Islands. Heard and McDonald Islands would fit into Tonga about 2.0 times.
Heard and McDonald IslandsTongaHeard and McDonald Islands moved onto Tonga · Equal-area projection
0.49×
Heard and McDonald Islands is 0.49× the area of Tonga. Put the other way, Tonga is 2.04× the size of Heard and McDonald Islands.
| Heard and McDonald Islands | Tonga | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 368 km² | 749 km² |
| Population | — | 103,742 |
| Density | — | 139 / km² |
| Capital | — | Nuku'alofa |
| Region | Seven seas (open ocean) | Polynesia |
| 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; Tonga 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 Tonga. 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 Tonga?
- No. Heard and McDonald Islands is 2.04 times smaller than Tonga. Heard and McDonald Islands covers 368 km² and Tonga covers 749 km².
- How many times does Heard and McDonald Islands fit into Tonga?
- About 2.0 times: Tonga has 2.04× the area of Heard and McDonald Islands.
- Why do Heard and McDonald Islands and Tonga 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 Tonga about 1.14×. That is why Heard and McDonald Islands looks so much bigger than it really is next to Tonga. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.