Iceland vs Libya
Libya is 17.1 times larger than Iceland. Iceland would fit into Libya about 17 times.
IcelandLibyaIceland moved onto Libya · Equal-area projection
0.06×
Iceland is 0.06× the area of Libya. Put the other way, Libya is 17.1× the size of Iceland.
| Iceland | Libya | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 103,004 km² | 1,759,541 km² |
| Population | 392,404 | 7,458,555 |
| Density | 3.8 / km² | 4.2 / km² |
| Capital | Reykjavik | Tripoli |
| Region | Northern Europe | Northern Africa |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Neighbours | 0 | 6 |
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; Libya at 27° N is stretched to 1.26×. That difference is why Iceland looks so much bigger than it is next to Libya. 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 Libya?
- No. Iceland is 17.1 times smaller than Libya. Iceland covers 103,004 km² and Libya covers 1,759,541 km².
- How many times does Iceland fit into Libya?
- About 17 times: Libya has 17.1× the area of Iceland.
- Why do Iceland and Libya 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 Libya about 1.26×. That is why Iceland looks so much bigger than it really is next to Libya. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Iceland or Libya?
- Libya: 7,458,555 people against 392,404. Density: Iceland 3.8 per km², Libya 4.2 per km².