United States vs Western Sahara
United States is 36.9 times larger than Western Sahara. Western Sahara would fit into United States about 37 times.
United StatesWestern SaharaUnited States moved onto Western Sahara · Equal-area projection
36.9×
United States is 36.9× the area of Western Sahara.
| United States | Western Sahara | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 9,826,675 km² | 266,000 km² |
| Population | 341,784,857 | 612,000 |
| Density | 35 / km² | 2.3 / km² |
| Capital | Washington D.C. | — |
| Region | Northern America | 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. United States sits at about 45°N and is stretched to 1.98× its true area; Western Sahara at 24° N is stretched to 1.2×. That difference is why United States 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 States bigger than Western Sahara?
- Yes. United States is 36.9 times larger than Western Sahara. United States covers 9,826,675 km² and Western Sahara covers 266,000 km².
- How many times does Western Sahara fit into United States?
- About 37 times: United States has 36.9× the area of Western Sahara.
- Why do United States and Western Sahara look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. United States is drawn about 1.98× its true area there and Western Sahara about 1.2×. That is why United States 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 States or Western Sahara?
- United States: 341,784,857 people against 612,000. Density: United States 35 per km², Western Sahara 2.3 per km².