Lesotho vs Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone is 2.36 times larger than Lesotho. Lesotho would fit into Sierra Leone about 2.4 times.
LesothoSierra LeoneLesotho moved onto Sierra Leone · Equal-area projection
0.42×
Lesotho is 0.42× the area of Sierra Leone. Put the other way, Sierra Leone is 2.36× the size of Lesotho.
| Lesotho | Sierra Leone | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 30,355 km² | 71,740 km² |
| Population | 2,363,325 | 8,819,794 |
| Density | 78 / km² | 123 / km² |
| Capital | Maseru | Freetown |
| Region | Southern Africa | Western Africa |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Neighbours | 1 | 2 |
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Lesotho sits at about 30°S and is stretched to 1.32× its true area; Sierra Leone at 9° N is stretched to 1.02×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Lesotho bigger than Sierra Leone?
- No. Lesotho is 2.36 times smaller than Sierra Leone. Lesotho covers 30,355 km² and Sierra Leone covers 71,740 km².
- How many times does Lesotho fit into Sierra Leone?
- About 2.4 times: Sierra Leone has 2.36× the area of Lesotho.
- Why do Lesotho and Sierra Leone look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Lesotho is drawn about 1.32× its true area there and Sierra Leone about 1.02×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Lesotho or Sierra Leone?
- Sierra Leone: 8,819,794 people against 2,363,325. Density: Lesotho 78 per km², Sierra Leone 123 per km².