Western Sahara is 1.02× the size of Jordan
Western Sahara covers about 90,500 km² (34,900 mi²) and Jordan about 88,900 km² (34,300 mi²). Below, both outlines are drawn at one scale and centred on each other.
- 90,500km²Western Sahara
- 88,900km²Jordan
200 km
- Western Sahara
- Jordan
The boundary or political status of Western Sahara is contested. Size Versus draws the Natural Earth de facto outline and takes no position on it.
What fits
- Jordan is 98% of the size of Western Sahara.
- Western Sahara is larger by 1,630 km² (630 mi²), which is 1.8% of the area of Jordan.
- Measured in Belgiums: Western Sahara is about 2.95, Jordan about 2.90.
How they differ
- Western Sahara is larger, but Jordan has the larger population: 10.4 million against 612,000, 17.0× as many people.
- Per square kilometre that is 117 in Jordan against 6.8 in Western Sahara: Jordan is 17.4× as densely populated.
- Their centres are about 4,850 km apart.
- On a standard web map Jordan looks larger than Western Sahara: Western Sahara at 24°N is drawn about 1.2× too large and Jordan at 31°N about 1.4×, so the map shows Jordan as 1.12× the size of Western Sahara, when Western Sahara is 1.02× the size of Jordan.
- Together Western Sahara and Jordan cover 179,000 km², close to the size of Cambodia (181,000 km², 0.9% bigger).
- The gap between them, 1,630 km², is about the size of Comoros (1,670 km²).
- At Jordan's density, Western Sahara would have 10.6 million people (it has 612,000). At Western Sahara's density, Jordan would have 601,000 (it has 10.4 million).
- Jordan's centre is 7.0° of latitude, about 780 km, farther north than Western Sahara's.
Who wins on what
| Measure | Winner | By |
|---|---|---|
| Larger area | Western Sahara | 1.02× |
| More people | Jordan | 17.0× |
| More crowded | Jordan | 17.4× |
| Farther north | Jordan | 7.0° of latitude |
| Stretched more on a web map | Jordan | 1.4× against 1.2× |
Both against the same yardsticks
| Yardstick | Western Sahara | Jordan |
|---|---|---|
| Belgium 30,700 km² | 2.95× | 2.90× |
| United Kingdom 244,000 km² | 0.37× | 0.36× |
| Germany 358,000 km² | 0.25× | 0.25× |
| Japan 374,000 km² | 0.24× | 0.24× |
| France 548,000 km² | 0.17× | 0.16× |
| India 3,151,000 km² | 0.03× | 0.03× |
| Brazil 8,473,000 km² | 0.01× | 0.01× |
| United States 9,447,000 km² | 0.01× | 0.01× |
| Russia 16,980,000 km² | 0.01× | 0.01× |
Each figure is the place's area divided by the yardstick's.
Side by side
| Western Sahara | Jordan | |
|---|---|---|
| Area, main territory | 90,500 km²34,900 mi² | 88,900 km²34,300 mi² |
| Population | 612,000Wikidata, 2021 | 10.4 millionWikidata, 2019 |
| Density | 6.8 per km² | 117 per km² |
| Official area | 266,000 km²Wikidata | 89,300 km²Wikidata |
| Capital | – | Amman |
| Latitude range | 21°N to 28°N | 29°N to 33°N |
| Continent | Africa | Asia |
Population: Wikidata 2021 and Wikidata 2019, covering each whole country. Official figures: Wikidata (CC0).
- Our measured 90,500 km² is 66% below Wikidata's official figure of 266,000 km². Official figures can include inland water or count land that an outline draws differently. This difference is flagged for review.
- Wikidata's official figure of 89,300 km² agrees with our measured area of 88,900 km², to within 2%.
Similar in size to Western Sahara
Similar in size to Jordan
More comparisons
Sources and method
- Outlines
- Natural Earth, 1:10m Admin 0 - Countries, public domain
- Boundary
- De facto, as drawn by Natural Earth. Main territory: the largest landmass and every part within 1,000 km of it.
- Area
- Measured on the WGS84 ellipsoid from the full-detail outlines, shown rounded. Comparisons use main-territory area.
- Drawing
- Each outline is projected with an equal-area projection centred on its own centroid, so areas stay true and the two can be laid over each other.
- Data built
- 2026-11-11
