Heard and McDonald Islands vs Turks and Caicos Islands

Turks and Caicos Islands is 13% larger than Heard and McDonald Islands.

Heard and McDonald IslandsTurks and Caicos IslandsHeard and McDonald Islands moved onto Turks and Caicos Islands · Equal-area projection
0.88×
Heard and McDonald Islands is 0.88× the area of Turks and Caicos Islands. Put the other way, Turks and Caicos Islands is 1.13× the size of Heard and McDonald Islands.
Heard and McDonald IslandsTurks and Caicos Islands
Area368 km²417 km²
Population46,855
Density112 / km²
CapitalGrand Turk
RegionSeven seas (open ocean)Caribbean
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; Turks and Caicos Islands at 22° N is stretched to 1.16×. That difference is why Heard and McDonald Islands looks so much bigger than it is next to Turks and Caicos 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 Turks and Caicos Islands?
No. Heard and McDonald Islands is 12% smaller than Turks and Caicos Islands. Heard and McDonald Islands covers 368 km² and Turks and Caicos Islands covers 417 km².
How many times does Heard and McDonald Islands fit into Turks and Caicos Islands?
About 1.1 times: Turks and Caicos Islands has 1.13× the area of Heard and McDonald Islands.
Why do Heard and McDonald Islands and Turks and Caicos 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 Turks and Caicos Islands about 1.16×. That is why Heard and McDonald Islands looks so much bigger than it really is next to Turks and Caicos Islands. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.