Palau vs US Virgin Islands

Palau is 35% larger than US Virgin Islands.

PalauUS Virgin IslandsPalau moved onto US Virgin Islands · Equal-area projection
1.35×
Palau is 1.35× the area of US Virgin Islands.
PalauUS Virgin Islands
Area466 km²346 km²
Population17,663103,792
Density38 / km²300 / km²
CapitalKororCharlotte Amalie
RegionMicronesiaCaribbean
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. Palau sits at about 7°N and is stretched to 1.02× its true area; US Virgin Islands at 18° N is stretched to 1.11×. 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 Palau bigger than US Virgin Islands?
Yes. Palau is 35% larger than US Virgin Islands. Palau covers 466 km² and US Virgin Islands covers 346 km².
How many times does US Virgin Islands fit into Palau?
About 1.3 times: Palau has 1.35× the area of US Virgin Islands.
Why do Palau and US Virgin Islands look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Palau is drawn about 1.02× its true area there and US Virgin Islands about 1.11×. 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, Palau or US Virgin Islands?
US Virgin Islands: 103,792 people against 17,663. Density: Palau 38 per km², US Virgin Islands 300 per km².