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Sweden vs Germany: which is bigger on the ground?

Sweden is 1.24× the area of Germany in our Natural Earth boundary dataset. The difference between the estimates is 86,814 km².

Sweden442,977 km²
Germany356,163 km²
Both outlines use the same scale and a local equal-area projection centered on each place. Their shapes come from this site’s Natural Earth boundaries; the map scene lets you move them.
Sweden442,977 km²
Germany356,163 km²
Bar length represents estimated boundary area. It does not claim one outline can physically fit inside the other.

What the map can hide

Sweden stretches farther north than Germany. Mercator enlarges its upper latitudes more strongly, so the map exaggerates a genuine area difference between the two.

The equal-area view helps isolate the area relationship. Look at the numerical ratio, then return to Mercator to see how much visual emphasis the projection adds.

Compare the outlines

View both at home in Mercator and then equal area. Sweden remains larger, but does the apparent margin change?

Open this pair in the equal-area map or compare it in Mercator. The selected outline moves on the map, while both area numbers stay fixed.

How to read these figures

The estimates use the same boundary file and spherical calculation. This is an internal map comparison, not an official country ranking.

Both areas are calculated from the original Natural Earth 1:50m polygons before display simplification. They are consistent estimates for this site, rather than official land or total-area statistics. The area guide explains what those definitions include. The projection guide explains the changing drawing.

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