New Caledonia vs Vanuatu

New Caledonia is 52% larger than Vanuatu. Vanuatu would fit into New Caledonia about 1.5 times.

New CaledoniaVanuatuNew Caledonia moved onto Vanuatu · Equal-area projection
1.52×
New Caledonia is 1.52× the area of Vanuatu.
New CaledoniaVanuatu
Area18,576 km²12,190 km²
Population295,333335,169
Density16 / km²27 / km²
CapitalNoum'eaPort-Vila
RegionMelanesiaMelanesia
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours00

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. New Caledonia sits at about 21°S and is stretched to 1.15× its true area; Vanuatu at 16° S is stretched to 1.08×. 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 New Caledonia bigger than Vanuatu?
Yes. New Caledonia is 52% larger than Vanuatu. New Caledonia covers 18,576 km² and Vanuatu covers 12,190 km².
How many times does Vanuatu fit into New Caledonia?
About 1.5 times: New Caledonia has 1.52× the area of Vanuatu.
Why do New Caledonia and Vanuatu look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. New Caledonia is drawn about 1.15× its true area there and Vanuatu about 1.08×. 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, New Caledonia or Vanuatu?
Vanuatu: 335,169 people against 295,333. Density: New Caledonia 16 per km², Vanuatu 27 per km².