Sweden is 6.2% larger than California. Areas below are total areas from national statistics; the Mercator factor shows how much a standard web map inflates each one.
Sweden is larger by 10,164 sq mi (26,325 km²).
Share of the two areas combined (true area, not map area)
| Metric | 🇸🇪 Sweden | 🇺🇸 California | Ratio / Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Area (Sq Miles) | 173,860 sq mi | 163,696 sq mi | 1.06x |
| Total Area (Sq Kilometers) | 450,295 km² | 423,970 km² | 1.06x |
| Population | 10,500,000 | 39,538,223 | 3.8x less |
| Population Density | 60 people / sq mi | 242 people / sq mi | California 4.0x denser |
| Capital or Seat | Stockholm | Sacramento | - |
| Largest Metropolitan Area | Stockholm | Los Angeles | - |
| Latitude Center | 60.1° | 37.0° | 23.1° lat diff |
| Mercator Area Inflation Factor | 4.02x | 1.57x | 2.56x visual distortion |
Sweden sits near 60°N, magnifying its visual footprint fourfold on Mercator projections. In truth, Sweden and California are nearly identical in size (within 6%).
Mercator projection formulas stretch surface area proportionally to sec²(φ) = 1 / cos²(φ), magnifying landmasses drastically near the north and south poles.
Sweden covers 173,860 square miles, making it just 6% larger than California (163,696 square miles). California has almost four times Sweden's population.
Sweden has an estimated 267,570 islands, more than any other nation in the world.
California contains the lowest and highest points in the contiguous 48 US states.
Mercator factors use the center latitude only (area scale = 1 / cos² of latitude), so they are approximations for places that span many degrees of latitude.
Use published areas from national statistics offices or census gazetteers rather than judging by pixels on a flat web map.
Remember that Web Mercator tiles distort areas by 1/cos²(latitude). High-latitude regions appear vastly larger than equatorial states.
Drag one outline over the other in the true size tool; the shape is re-projected as it moves, so it keeps its real size.
Sweden is slightly larger (about 6.2% larger) than California in land area.
California has about 39,538,223 people versus 10,500,000 in Sweden, roughly 3.8 times as many. Per square mile, that is about 60 people in Sweden and 242 in California.
