How big is Samoa really?
Samoa covers 2,842 km² (1,100 sq mi). On the usual world map (the Mercator projection) it is drawn close to its true size: it lies near the equator, where the usual world map stretches little.
See Samoa at its true size on the map →True size vs the map
Both drawn at the same scale. The map keeps shapes but swells everything away from the equator.
Samoa in numbers
- Samoa is the 179th largest of the 196 countries and territories in Globegami.
- Countries of about the same true size: Luxembourg (2,593 km²), Northern Cyprus (3,470 km²), Siachen Glacier (2,130 km²).
- The United Kingdom is 85 times the size of Samoa.
Why the map gets Samoa wrong
Samoa lies around 14°S. A Mercator map stretches distances there by about 1.03 times in every direction, which barely changes its size. Most web maps use this projection because it keeps angles and shapes right for navigation, not because it shows sizes fairly.
In Globegami you can drag a copy of Samoa anywhere on Earth: it keeps its true size and grows or shrinks on the map as it moves, and you can fold the map back into a globe.
Areas: official totals including inland water (UN Statistics Division via Wikidata). Outlines: Natural Earth. How Globegami works