Lesotho vs Switzerland
Switzerland is 36% larger than Lesotho.
LesothoSwitzerlandLesotho moved onto Switzerland · Equal-area projection
0.74×
Lesotho is 0.74× the area of Switzerland. Put the other way, Switzerland is 1.36× the size of Lesotho.
| Lesotho | Switzerland | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 30,355 km² | 41,291 km² |
| Population | 2,363,325 | 9,092,436 |
| Density | 78 / km² | 220 / km² |
| Capital | Maseru | Bern |
| Region | Southern Africa | Western Europe |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Landlocked |
| Neighbours | 1 | 5 |
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; Switzerland at 47° N is stretched to 2.13×. That difference is why Switzerland looks so much bigger than it is next to Lesotho. 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 Switzerland?
- No. Lesotho is 26% smaller than Switzerland. Lesotho covers 30,355 km² and Switzerland covers 41,291 km².
- How many times does Lesotho fit into Switzerland?
- About 1.4 times: Switzerland has 1.36× the area of Lesotho.
- Why do Lesotho and Switzerland 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 Switzerland about 2.13×. That is why Switzerland looks so much bigger than it really is next to Lesotho. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Lesotho or Switzerland?
- Switzerland: 9,092,436 people against 2,363,325. Density: Lesotho 78 per km², Switzerland 220 per km².