New Zealand vs Western Sahara
New Zealand and Western Sahara are almost exactly the same size.
New ZealandWestern SaharaNew Zealand moved onto Western Sahara · Equal-area projection
1.01×
New Zealand is 1.01× the area of Western Sahara.
| New Zealand | Western Sahara | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 268,021 km² | 266,000 km² |
| Population | 5,324,700 | 612,000 |
| Density | 20 / km² | 2.3 / km² |
| Capital | Wellington | — |
| Region | Australia and New Zealand | Northern Africa |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Neighbours | 0 | 3 |
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. New Zealand sits at about 42°S and is stretched to 1.79× its true area; Western Sahara at 24° N is stretched to 1.2×. That difference is why New Zealand looks so much bigger than it is next to Western Sahara. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is New Zealand bigger than Western Sahara?
- Yes. New Zealand and Western Sahara are almost exactly the same size. New Zealand covers 268,021 km² and Western Sahara covers 266,000 km².
- How many times does Western Sahara fit into New Zealand?
- About 1.0 times: New Zealand has 1.01× the area of Western Sahara.
- Why do New Zealand and Western Sahara look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. New Zealand is drawn about 1.79× its true area there and Western Sahara about 1.2×. That is why New Zealand looks so much bigger than it really is next to Western Sahara. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, New Zealand or Western Sahara?
- New Zealand: 5,324,700 people against 612,000. Density: New Zealand 20 per km², Western Sahara 2.3 per km².