Sweden vs Western Sahara
Sweden is 68% larger than Western Sahara. Western Sahara would fit into Sweden about 1.7 times.
SwedenWestern SaharaSweden moved onto Western Sahara · Equal-area projection
1.68×
Sweden is 1.68× the area of Western Sahara.
| Sweden | Western Sahara | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 447,425 km² | 266,000 km² |
| Population | 10,596,620 | 612,000 |
| Density | 24 / km² | 2.3 / km² |
| Capital | Stockholm | — |
| Region | Northern Europe | Northern Africa |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Neighbours | 2 | 3 |
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Sweden sits at about 62°N and is stretched to 4.65× its true area; Western Sahara at 24° N is stretched to 1.2×. That difference is why Sweden 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 Sweden bigger than Western Sahara?
- Yes. Sweden is 68% larger than Western Sahara. Sweden covers 447,425 km² and Western Sahara covers 266,000 km².
- How many times does Western Sahara fit into Sweden?
- About 1.7 times: Sweden has 1.68× the area of Western Sahara.
- Why do Sweden and Western Sahara look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Sweden is drawn about 4.65× its true area there and Western Sahara about 1.2×. That is why Sweden 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, Sweden or Western Sahara?
- Sweden: 10,596,620 people against 612,000. Density: Sweden 24 per km², Western Sahara 2.3 per km².