Which is bigger: Sweden or Iraq?

Sweden is larger (438,574 km²) — about 1.0 times the size of Iraq (435,052 km²).

Why do Sweden and Iraq 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 Sweden and Iraq are distorted compared to their true land area.

02Act II · 1:1 studioChange pair ↙

Sweden×Iraq

Put Sweden and Iraq 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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Sweden ↗

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Total surface area438,574 km²ed. 2024

Population10,596,6202025

Land area407,270 km²2023

TypeCountry

Iraq ↗

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Total surface area435,052 km²ed. 2024

Population47,020,7742025

Land area434,130 km²2023

TypeCountry