Iceland vs Japan
Japan is 3.67 times larger than Iceland. Iceland would fit into Japan about 3.7 times.
IcelandJapanIceland moved onto Japan · Equal-area projection
0.27×
Iceland is 0.27× the area of Japan. Put the other way, Japan is 3.67× the size of Iceland.
| Iceland | Japan | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 103,004 km² | 377,972 km² |
| Population | 392,404 | 123,366,734 |
| Density | 3.8 / km² | 326 / km² |
| Capital | Reykjavik | Tokyo |
| Region | Northern Europe | Eastern Asia |
| 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. Iceland sits at about 65°N and is stretched to 5.6× its true area; Japan at 37° N is stretched to 1.59×. That difference is why Iceland looks so much bigger than it is next to Japan. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Iceland bigger than Japan?
- No. Iceland is 3.67 times smaller than Japan. Iceland covers 103,004 km² and Japan covers 377,972 km².
- How many times does Iceland fit into Japan?
- About 3.7 times: Japan has 3.67× the area of Iceland.
- Why do Iceland and Japan look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Iceland is drawn about 5.6× its true area there and Japan about 1.59×. That is why Iceland looks so much bigger than it really is next to Japan. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Iceland or Japan?
- Japan: 123,366,734 people against 392,404. Density: Iceland 3.8 per km², Japan 326 per km².