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North Macedonia vs Western Sahara

Western Sahara is 10.3 times larger than North Macedonia. North Macedonia would fit into Western Sahara about 10 times.

North MacedoniaWestern SaharaNorth Macedonia moved onto Western Sahara · Equal-area projection
0.1×
North Macedonia is 0.1× the area of Western Sahara. Put the other way, Western Sahara is 10.3× the size of North Macedonia.
North MacedoniaWestern Sahara
Area25,713 km²266,000 km²
Population1,820,909612,000
Density71 / km²2.3 / km²
CapitalSkopje—
RegionSouthern EuropeNorthern Africa
CoastlineLandlockedHas a coast
Neighbours53

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. North Macedonia sits at about 42°N and is stretched to 1.79× its true area; Western Sahara at 24° N is stretched to 1.2×. That difference is why North Macedonia 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.

Open in the atlasLay Western Sahara over North Macedonia

Questions about this pair

Is North Macedonia bigger than Western Sahara?
No. North Macedonia is 10.3 times smaller than Western Sahara. North Macedonia covers 25,713 km² and Western Sahara covers 266,000 km².
How many times does North Macedonia fit into Western Sahara?
About 10 times: Western Sahara has 10.3× the area of North Macedonia.
Why do North Macedonia and Western Sahara look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. North Macedonia is drawn about 1.79× its true area there and Western Sahara about 1.2×. That is why North Macedonia 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, North Macedonia or Western Sahara?
North Macedonia: 1,820,909 people against 612,000. Density: North Macedonia 71 per km², Western Sahara 2.3 per km².
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