Poland vs South Africa
South Africa is 3.91 times larger than Poland. Poland would fit into South Africa about 3.9 times.
PolandSouth AfricaPoland moved onto South Africa · Equal-area projection
0.26×
Poland is 0.26× the area of South Africa. Put the other way, South Africa is 3.91× the size of Poland.
| Poland | South Africa | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 312,683 km² | 1,221,037 km² |
| Population | 36,435,861 | 64,747,319 |
| Density | 117 / km² | 53 / km² |
| Capital | Warsaw | Pretoria |
| Region | Eastern Europe | Southern Africa |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Neighbours | 7 | 6 |
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Poland sits at about 52°N and is stretched to 2.65× its true area; South Africa at 29° S is stretched to 1.31×. That difference is why Poland 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 Poland bigger than South Africa?
- No. Poland is 3.91 times smaller than South Africa. Poland covers 312,683 km² and South Africa covers 1,221,037 km².
- How many times does Poland fit into South Africa?
- About 3.9 times: South Africa has 3.91× the area of Poland.
- Why do Poland and South Africa look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Poland is drawn about 2.65× its true area there and South Africa about 1.31×. That is why Poland 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, Poland or South Africa?
- South Africa: 64,747,319 people against 36,435,861. Density: Poland 117 per km², South Africa 53 per km².