United Kingdom vs Western Sahara
Western Sahara is 10% larger than United Kingdom.
United KingdomWestern SaharaUnited Kingdom moved onto Western Sahara · Equal-area projection
0.91×
United Kingdom is 0.91× the area of Western Sahara. Put the other way, Western Sahara is 1.1× the size of United Kingdom.
| United Kingdom | Western Sahara | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 242,495 km² | 266,000 km² |
| Population | 69,487,000 | 612,000 |
| Density | 287 / km² | 2.3 / km² |
| Capital | London | — |
| Region | Northern Europe | Northern Africa |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Neighbours | 1 | 3 |
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. United Kingdom sits at about 54°N and is stretched to 2.9× its true area; Western Sahara at 24° N is stretched to 1.2×. That difference is why United Kingdom 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 United Kingdom bigger than Western Sahara?
- No. United Kingdom is 9% smaller than Western Sahara. United Kingdom covers 242,495 km² and Western Sahara covers 266,000 km².
- How many times does United Kingdom fit into Western Sahara?
- About 1.1 times: Western Sahara has 1.1× the area of United Kingdom.
- Why do United Kingdom and Western Sahara look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. United Kingdom is drawn about 2.9× its true area there and Western Sahara about 1.2×. That is why United Kingdom 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, United Kingdom or Western Sahara?
- United Kingdom: 69,487,000 people against 612,000. Density: United Kingdom 287 per km², Western Sahara 2.3 per km².