Spain vs Western Sahara
Spain is 90% larger than Western Sahara. Western Sahara would fit into Spain about 1.9 times.
SpainWestern SaharaSpain moved onto Western Sahara · Equal-area projection
1.9×
Spain is 1.9× the area of Western Sahara.
| Spain | Western Sahara | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 505,990 km² | 266,000 km² |
| Population | 49,355,143 | 612,000 |
| Density | 98 / km² | 2.3 / km² |
| Capital | Madrid | — |
| Region | Southern Europe | Northern Africa |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Neighbours | 3 | 3 |
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Spain sits at about 40°N and is stretched to 1.71× its true area; Western Sahara at 24° N is stretched to 1.2×. That difference is why Spain 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.
Questions about this pair
- Is Spain bigger than Western Sahara?
- Yes. Spain is 90% larger than Western Sahara. Spain covers 505,990 km² and Western Sahara covers 266,000 km².
- How many times does Western Sahara fit into Spain?
- About 1.9 times: Spain has 1.9× the area of Western Sahara.
- Why do Spain and Western Sahara look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Spain is drawn about 1.71× its true area there and Western Sahara about 1.2×. That is why Spain 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, Spain or Western Sahara?
- Spain: 49,355,143 people against 612,000. Density: Spain 98 per km², Western Sahara 2.3 per km².