Iceland vs New Zealand
New Zealand is 2.6 times larger than Iceland. Iceland would fit into New Zealand about 2.6 times.
IcelandNew ZealandIceland moved onto New Zealand · Equal-area projection
0.38×
Iceland is 0.38× the area of New Zealand. Put the other way, New Zealand is 2.6× the size of Iceland.
| Iceland | New Zealand | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 103,004 km² | 268,021 km² |
| Population | 392,404 | 5,324,700 |
| Density | 3.8 / km² | 20 / km² |
| Capital | Reykjavik | Wellington |
| Region | Northern Europe | Australia and New Zealand |
| 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; New Zealand at 42° S is stretched to 1.79×. That difference is why Iceland looks so much bigger than it is next to New Zealand. 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 New Zealand?
- No. Iceland is 2.6 times smaller than New Zealand. Iceland covers 103,004 km² and New Zealand covers 268,021 km².
- How many times does Iceland fit into New Zealand?
- About 2.6 times: New Zealand has 2.6× the area of Iceland.
- Why do Iceland and New Zealand 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 New Zealand about 1.79×. That is why Iceland looks so much bigger than it really is next to New Zealand. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Iceland or New Zealand?
- New Zealand: 5,324,700 people against 392,404. Density: Iceland 3.8 per km², New Zealand 20 per km².