Iceland vs South Korea
Iceland and South Korea are almost exactly the same size.
IcelandSouth KoreaIceland moved onto South Korea · Equal-area projection
1.03×
Iceland is 1.03× the area of South Korea.
| Iceland | South Korea | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 103,004 km² | 100,295 km² |
| Population | 392,404 | 51,684,564 |
| Density | 3.8 / km² | 515 / km² |
| Capital | Reykjavik | Seoul |
| Region | Northern Europe | Eastern Asia |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Neighbours | 0 | 1 |
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; South Korea at 36° N is stretched to 1.54×. That difference is why Iceland looks so much bigger than it is next to South Korea. 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 South Korea?
- Yes. Iceland and South Korea are almost exactly the same size. Iceland covers 103,004 km² and South Korea covers 100,295 km².
- How many times does South Korea fit into Iceland?
- About 1.0 times: Iceland has 1.03× the area of South Korea.
- Why do Iceland and South Korea 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 South Korea about 1.54×. That is why Iceland looks so much bigger than it really is next to South Korea. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Iceland or South Korea?
- South Korea: 51,684,564 people against 392,404. Density: Iceland 3.8 per km², South Korea 515 per km².