Vatican City vs Western Sahara
Western Sahara is — times larger than Vatican City. Vatican City would fit into Western Sahara about Infinity times.
Vatican CityWestern SaharaVatican City moved onto Western Sahara · Equal-area projection
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Vatican City is — the area of Western Sahara. Put the other way, Western Sahara is — the size of Vatican City.
| Vatican City | Western Sahara | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 0 km² | 266,000 km² |
| Population | 882 | 612,000 |
| Density | 0.00 / km² | 2.3 / km² |
| Capital | Vatican City | — |
| Region | Southern Europe | Northern Africa |
| Coastline | Landlocked | 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. Vatican City sits at about 42°N and is stretched to 1.81× its true area; Western Sahara at 24° N is stretched to 1.2×. That difference is why Vatican City 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 Vatican City bigger than Western Sahara?
- No. Vatican City is — times smaller than Western Sahara. Vatican City covers 0 km² and Western Sahara covers 266,000 km².
- How many times does Vatican City fit into Western Sahara?
- About Infinity times: Western Sahara has — the area of Vatican City.
- Why do Vatican City and Western Sahara look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Vatican City is drawn about 1.81× its true area there and Western Sahara about 1.2×. That is why Vatican City 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, Vatican City or Western Sahara?
- Western Sahara: 612,000 people against 882. Density: Vatican City 0.00 per km², Western Sahara 2.3 per km².