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True size comparison

France vs Spain: size comparison

France is 1.09 times the size of Spain.

  • France 551,700 km²
  • Spain 505,990 km²

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    Drag the coloured shape anywhere on the map. It keeps its real size on the globe, so the map redraws it bigger near the poles and smaller near the equator.

    Why they look different on a map

    France is centred around 47°N and Spain around 40°N. At those latitudes the Mercator projection used by most world maps draws France 2.1 times and Spain 1.7 times larger than they would appear at the equator.

    So on a typical world map, France looks 1.3 times the size of Spain. In reality France is 1.09 times the size of Spain.

    Country True area Centred around Mercator enlargement
    France 551,700 km² 47°N ×2.1
    Spain 505,990 km² 40°N ×1.7

    The stretch is 1 divided by the cosine of the latitude, squared. At 60° north a country is drawn four times larger than the same country would be at the equator.

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    France vs Spain: questions

    Which is bigger, France or Spain?

    France is 1.09 times the size of Spain. France covers 551,700 km² and Spain covers 505,990 km².

    Why do France and Spain look a different size on world maps?

    France is centred around 47°N and Spain around 40°N. At those latitudes the Mercator projection used by most world maps draws France 2.1 times and Spain 1.7 times larger than they would appear at the equator. So on a typical world map, France looks 1.3 times the size of Spain.

    How many times does Spain fit into France?

    By area, Spain would fit into France about 1.09 times.