Switzerland vs Western Sahara
Western Sahara is 6.44 times larger than Switzerland. Switzerland would fit into Western Sahara about 6.4 times.
SwitzerlandWestern SaharaSwitzerland moved onto Western Sahara · Equal-area projection
0.16×
Switzerland is 0.16× the area of Western Sahara. Put the other way, Western Sahara is 6.44× the size of Switzerland.
| Switzerland | Western Sahara | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 41,291 km² | 266,000 km² |
| Population | 9,092,436 | 612,000 |
| Density | 220 / km² | 2.3 / km² |
| Capital | Bern | — |
| Region | Western Europe | Northern Africa |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Neighbours | 5 | 3 |
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Switzerland sits at about 47°N and is stretched to 2.13× its true area; Western Sahara at 24° N is stretched to 1.2×. That difference is why Switzerland 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 Switzerland bigger than Western Sahara?
- No. Switzerland is 6.44 times smaller than Western Sahara. Switzerland covers 41,291 km² and Western Sahara covers 266,000 km².
- How many times does Switzerland fit into Western Sahara?
- About 6.4 times: Western Sahara has 6.44× the area of Switzerland.
- Why do Switzerland and Western Sahara look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Switzerland is drawn about 2.13× its true area there and Western Sahara about 1.2×. That is why Switzerland 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, Switzerland or Western Sahara?
- Switzerland: 9,092,436 people against 612,000. Density: Switzerland 220 per km², Western Sahara 2.3 per km².