South Africa vs United Kingdom
South Africa is 5.04 times larger than United Kingdom. United Kingdom would fit into South Africa about 5.0 times.
South AfricaUnited KingdomSouth Africa moved onto United Kingdom · Equal-area projection
5.04×
South Africa is 5.04× the area of United Kingdom.
| South Africa | United Kingdom | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 1,221,037 km² | 242,495 km² |
| Population | 64,747,319 | 69,487,000 |
| Density | 53 / km² | 287 / km² |
| Capital | Pretoria | London |
| Region | Southern Africa | Northern Europe |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Neighbours | 6 | 1 |
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. South Africa sits at about 29°S and is stretched to 1.31× its true area; United Kingdom at 54° N is stretched to 2.9×. That difference is why United Kingdom 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 South Africa bigger than United Kingdom?
- Yes. South Africa is 5.04 times larger than United Kingdom. South Africa covers 1,221,037 km² and United Kingdom covers 242,495 km².
- How many times does United Kingdom fit into South Africa?
- About 5.0 times: South Africa has 5.04× the area of United Kingdom.
- Why do South Africa and United Kingdom look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. South Africa is drawn about 1.31× its true area there and United Kingdom about 2.9×. That is why United Kingdom 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, South Africa or United Kingdom?
- United Kingdom: 69,487,000 people against 64,747,319. Density: South Africa 53 per km², United Kingdom 287 per km².