Libya vs Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia is 28% larger than Libya.
LibyaSaudi ArabiaLibya moved onto Saudi Arabia · Equal-area projection
0.78×
Libya is 0.78× the area of Saudi Arabia. Put the other way, Saudi Arabia is 1.28× the size of Libya.
| Libya | Saudi Arabia | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 1,759,541 km² | 2,250,000 km² |
| Population | 7,458,555 | 36,973,555 |
| Density | 4.2 / km² | 16 / km² |
| Capital | Tripoli | Riyadh |
| Region | Northern Africa | Western Asia |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Neighbours | 6 | 7 |
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Libya sits at about 27°N and is stretched to 1.26× its true area; Saudi Arabia at 24° N is stretched to 1.2×. 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 Libya bigger than Saudi Arabia?
- No. Libya is 22% smaller than Saudi Arabia. Libya covers 1,759,541 km² and Saudi Arabia covers 2,250,000 km².
- How many times does Libya fit into Saudi Arabia?
- About 1.3 times: Saudi Arabia has 1.28× the area of Libya.
- Why do Libya and Saudi Arabia look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Libya is drawn about 1.26× its true area there and Saudi Arabia about 1.2×. 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, Libya or Saudi Arabia?
- Saudi Arabia: 36,973,555 people against 7,458,555. Density: Libya 4.2 per km², Saudi Arabia 16 per km².