Iceland vs Syria
Syria is 80% larger than Iceland. Iceland would fit into Syria about 1.8 times.
IcelandSyriaIceland moved onto Syria · Equal-area projection
0.56×
Iceland is 0.56× the area of Syria. Put the other way, Syria is 1.8× the size of Iceland.
| Iceland | Syria | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 103,004 km² | 185,180 km² |
| Population | 392,404 | 25,620,427 |
| Density | 3.8 / km² | 138 / km² |
| Capital | Reykjavik | Damascus |
| Region | Northern Europe | Western Asia |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Neighbours | 0 | 5 |
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; Syria at 35° N is stretched to 1.49×. That difference is why Iceland looks so much bigger than it is next to Syria. 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 Syria?
- No. Iceland is 44% smaller than Syria. Iceland covers 103,004 km² and Syria covers 185,180 km².
- How many times does Iceland fit into Syria?
- About 1.8 times: Syria has 1.8× the area of Iceland.
- Why do Iceland and Syria 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 Syria about 1.49×. That is why Iceland looks so much bigger than it really is next to Syria. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Iceland or Syria?
- Syria: 25,620,427 people against 392,404. Density: Iceland 3.8 per km², Syria 138 per km².