São Tomé and Principe vs Western Sahara
Western Sahara is 266 times larger than São Tomé and Principe. São Tomé and Principe would fit into Western Sahara about 266 times.
São Tomé and PrincipeWestern SaharaSão Tomé and Principe moved onto Western Sahara · Equal-area projection
0.0×
São Tomé and Principe is 0.0× the area of Western Sahara. Put the other way, Western Sahara is 266× the size of São Tomé and Principe.
| São Tomé and Principe | Western Sahara | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 1,001 km² | 266,000 km² |
| Population | 240,254 | 612,000 |
| Density | 240 / km² | 2.3 / km² |
| Capital | Sao Tome | — |
| Region | Middle Africa | 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. São Tomé and Principe sits at about 0°N and is stretched to 1.0× its true area; Western Sahara at 24° N is stretched to 1.2×. 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 São Tomé and Principe bigger than Western Sahara?
- No. São Tomé and Principe is 266 times smaller than Western Sahara. São Tomé and Principe covers 1,001 km² and Western Sahara covers 266,000 km².
- How many times does São Tomé and Principe fit into Western Sahara?
- About 266 times: Western Sahara has 266× the area of São Tomé and Principe.
- Why do São Tomé and Principe and Western Sahara look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. São Tomé and Principe is drawn about 1.0× its true area there and Western Sahara about 1.2×. 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, São Tomé and Principe or Western Sahara?
- Western Sahara: 612,000 people against 240,254. Density: São Tomé and Principe 240 per km², Western Sahara 2.3 per km².