Which is bigger: Israel or El Salvador?

Israel is larger (22,072 km²) — about 1.0 times the size of El Salvador (21,041 km²).

Why do Israel and El Salvador look different on the map than in reality?

The common Mercator projection enlarges areas the farther they lie from the equator, so the on-map size proportions of Israel and El Salvador are distorted compared to their true land area.

02Act II · 1:1 studioChange pair ↙

Israel×El Salvador

Put Israel and El Salvador on the same scale. Drag, separate, and see what the Mercator map hides.

Reverse order ⇄

True-size comparison

Same scale. Real difference.

Drag the outlines to overlap them, or place them side by side.

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Israel ↗

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Total surface area22,072 km²ed. 2024

Population10,122,8002025

Land area21,640 km²2023

TypeCountry

El Salvador ↗

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Total surface area21,041 km²ed. 2024

Population6,365,5032025

Land area20,720 km²2023

TypeCountry