Moldova vs South Africa
South Africa is 36.1 times larger than Moldova. Moldova would fit into South Africa about 36 times.
MoldovaSouth AfricaMoldova moved onto South Africa · Equal-area projection
0.03×
Moldova is 0.03× the area of South Africa. Put the other way, South Africa is 36.1× the size of Moldova.
| Moldova | South Africa | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 33,844 km² | 1,221,037 km² |
| Population | 2,360,527 | 64,747,319 |
| Density | 70 / km² | 53 / km² |
| Capital | Chisinau | Pretoria |
| Region | Eastern Europe | Southern Africa |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Neighbours | 2 | 6 |
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Moldova sits at about 47°N and is stretched to 2.17× its true area; South Africa at 29° S is stretched to 1.31×. That difference is why Moldova looks so much bigger than it is next to South Africa. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Moldova bigger than South Africa?
- No. Moldova is 36.1 times smaller than South Africa. Moldova covers 33,844 km² and South Africa covers 1,221,037 km².
- How many times does Moldova fit into South Africa?
- About 36 times: South Africa has 36.1× the area of Moldova.
- Why do Moldova and South Africa look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Moldova is drawn about 2.17× its true area there and South Africa about 1.31×. That is why Moldova looks so much bigger than it really is next to South Africa. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Moldova or South Africa?
- South Africa: 64,747,319 people against 2,360,527. Density: Moldova 70 per km², South Africa 53 per km².