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True size comparison

Kenya vs France: size comparison

Kenya is 1.05 times the size of France.

  • Kenya 580,370 km²
  • France 551,700 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

    Kenya is centred around 1°N and France around 47°N. At those latitudes the Mercator projection used by most world maps draws Kenya 1.00 times and France 2.1 times larger than they would appear at the equator.

    So on a typical world map, France looks 2.0 times the size of Kenya. In reality Kenya is 1.05 times the size of France. The map gets it backwards: the country that looks bigger is actually the smaller one.

    Country True area Centred around Mercator enlargement
    Kenya 580,370 km² 1°N ×1.00
    France 551,700 km² 47°N ×2.1

    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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    Kenya vs France: questions

    Which is bigger, Kenya or France?

    Kenya is 1.05 times the size of France. Kenya covers 580,370 km² and France covers 551,700 km².

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

    Kenya is centred around 1°N and France around 47°N. At those latitudes the Mercator projection used by most world maps draws Kenya 1.00 times and France 2.1 times larger than they would appear at the equator. So on a typical world map, France looks 2.0 times the size of Kenya.

    How many times does France fit into Kenya?

    By area, France would fit into Kenya about 1.05 times.