United Kingdom vs France: size comparison
France is 2.3 times the size of United Kingdom.
- United Kingdom 242,500 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
United Kingdom is centred around 54°N and France around 47°N. At those latitudes the Mercator projection used by most world maps draws United Kingdom 2.9 times and France 2.1 times larger than they would appear at the equator.
So on a typical world map, France looks 1.7 times the size of United Kingdom. In reality France is 2.3 times the size of United Kingdom.
| Country | True area | Centred around | Mercator enlargement |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 242,500 km² | 54°N | ×2.9 |
| 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.
More size comparisons
- United Kingdom vs Japan
- United Kingdom vs Germany
- United Kingdom vs New Zealand
- United Kingdom vs Madagascar
- France vs Spain
- Germany vs France
- Ukraine vs France
- Turkey vs France
- Egypt vs France
- Nigeria vs France
- Italy vs United Kingdom
- South Africa vs France
- Kenya vs France
- Thailand vs France
- Greenland vs DR Congo
- Greenland vs Australia
- Greenland vs United States
- Greenland vs Brazil
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United Kingdom vs France: questions
Which is bigger, United Kingdom or France?
France is 2.3 times the size of United Kingdom. United Kingdom covers 242,500 km² and France covers 551,700 km².
Why do United Kingdom and France look a different size on world maps?
United Kingdom is centred around 54°N and France around 47°N. At those latitudes the Mercator projection used by most world maps draws United Kingdom 2.9 times and France 2.1 times larger than they would appear at the equator. So on a typical world map, France looks 1.7 times the size of United Kingdom.
How many times does United Kingdom fit into France?
By area, United Kingdom would fit into France about 2.3 times.