Heard and McDonald Islands vs Vanuatu

Vanuatu is 33.1 times larger than Heard and McDonald Islands. Heard and McDonald Islands would fit into Vanuatu about 33 times.

Heard and McDonald IslandsVanuatuHeard and McDonald Islands moved onto Vanuatu · Equal-area projection
0.03×
Heard and McDonald Islands is 0.03× the area of Vanuatu. Put the other way, Vanuatu is 33.1× the size of Heard and McDonald Islands.
Heard and McDonald IslandsVanuatu
Area368 km²12,190 km²
Population335,169
Density27 / km²
CapitalPort-Vila
RegionSeven seas (open ocean)Melanesia
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; Vanuatu at 16° S is stretched to 1.08×. That difference is why Heard and McDonald Islands looks so much bigger than it is next to Vanuatu. 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 Vanuatu?
No. Heard and McDonald Islands is 33.1 times smaller than Vanuatu. Heard and McDonald Islands covers 368 km² and Vanuatu covers 12,190 km².
How many times does Heard and McDonald Islands fit into Vanuatu?
About 33 times: Vanuatu has 33.1× the area of Heard and McDonald Islands.
Why do Heard and McDonald Islands and Vanuatu 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 Vanuatu about 1.08×. That is why Heard and McDonald Islands looks so much bigger than it really is next to Vanuatu. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.