Iceland vs Malawi
Malawi is 15% larger than Iceland.
IcelandMalawiIceland moved onto Malawi · Equal-area projection
0.87×
Iceland is 0.87× the area of Malawi. Put the other way, Malawi is 1.15× the size of Iceland.
| Iceland | Malawi | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 103,004 km² | 118,484 km² |
| Population | 392,404 | 22,216,120 |
| Density | 3.8 / km² | 188 / km² |
| Capital | Reykjavik | Lilongwe |
| Region | Northern Europe | Eastern Africa |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Landlocked |
| Neighbours | 0 | 3 |
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; Malawi at 13° S is stretched to 1.06×. That difference is why Iceland looks so much bigger than it is next to Malawi. 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 Malawi?
- No. Iceland is 13% smaller than Malawi. Iceland covers 103,004 km² and Malawi covers 118,484 km².
- How many times does Iceland fit into Malawi?
- About 1.2 times: Malawi has 1.15× the area of Iceland.
- Why do Iceland and Malawi 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 Malawi about 1.06×. That is why Iceland looks so much bigger than it really is next to Malawi. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Iceland or Malawi?
- Malawi: 22,216,120 people against 392,404. Density: Iceland 3.8 per km², Malawi 188 per km².