Which is larger?
Africa has a mapped area of 29,820,053 km², compared with 17,651,497 km² for South America. That makes Africa about 1.69× larger. Because both values come from the same map geometry and spherical calculation, the ratio is internally consistent.
South America and Africa at one scale
Both regions span the equator or nearby latitudes, yet familiar rectangular maps can still make visual comparison difficult. An equal-area overlay turns the question into a direct comparison of measured geographic footprints.
South America here means its twelve UN member states, while Africa includes 54 UN member states plus Western Sahara. Dependencies and physical-continent clipping are not mixed silently into the ratio.
Why this page compares area only
Country population values and a multi-country regional aggregate should not be combined without a shared reference year and aggregation policy. This comparison therefore stays focused on the consistently mapped geographic footprint.
This comparison is a geographic visualization, not a statement about territorial claims. Read the methodology and data sources before reusing the figures.