Which is bigger: Sierra Leone or United Arab Emirates?

Sierra Leone is larger (72,300 km²) — about 1.0 times the size of United Arab Emirates (71,024 km²).

Why do Sierra Leone and United Arab Emirates 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 Sierra Leone and United Arab Emirates are distorted compared to their true land area.

02Act II · 1:1 studioChange pair ↙

Sierra Leone×United Arab Emirates

Put Sierra Leone and United Arab Emirates 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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Sierra Leone ↗

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Total surface area72,300 km²ed. 2024

Population8,819,7942025

Land area72,180 km²2023

TypeCountry

United Arab Emirates ↗

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Total surface area71,024 km²ed. 2024

Population11,513,1492025

Land area71,020 km²2023

TypeCountry