Heard and McDonald Islands vs US Virgin Islands

Heard and McDonald Islands is 6% larger than US Virgin Islands.

Heard and McDonald IslandsUS Virgin IslandsHeard and McDonald Islands moved onto US Virgin Islands · Equal-area projection
1.06×
Heard and McDonald Islands is 1.06× the area of US Virgin Islands.
Heard and McDonald IslandsUS Virgin Islands
Area368 km²346 km²
Population103,792
Density300 / km²
CapitalCharlotte Amalie
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; US Virgin Islands at 18° N is stretched to 1.11×. That difference is why Heard and McDonald Islands looks so much bigger than it is next to US Virgin 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 US Virgin Islands?
Yes. Heard and McDonald Islands is 6% larger than US Virgin Islands. Heard and McDonald Islands covers 368 km² and US Virgin Islands covers 346 km².
How many times does US Virgin Islands fit into Heard and McDonald Islands?
About 1.1 times: Heard and McDonald Islands has 1.06× the area of US Virgin Islands.
Why do Heard and McDonald Islands and US Virgin 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 US Virgin Islands about 1.11×. That is why Heard and McDonald Islands looks so much bigger than it really is next to US Virgin Islands. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.