Cloud matching in M33. II.

The less massive and smaller M33 galaxy also hosts less massive and lower-density GMCs compared to the Milky Way by an order of magnitude. Notably, the most massive (> a few 10^6^M_{sun}_) GMC population observed in the Milky Way is mainly missing in M33. The mean surface mass density of M33 is significantly smaller than that of the Milky Way and this is attributed to higher column densities of the largest GMCs in the Milky Way, despite similar GMC areas.

We find no systematic gradients in physical properties with the galactocentric radius in M33. However, surface mass densities and masses are higher near the center, implying increased SF activity. In both galaxies, the central region contains ~30% of the total molecular mass.

The index of the power-law spectrum of the GMC masses across the entire disk of M33 is alpha=2.3+/-0.1 and alpha=1.9+/-0.1 for dust- and CO-derived data, respectively. We conclude that GMC properties in M33 and the Milky Way are largely similar, though M33 lacks high-mass GMCs, for which there is no straightforward explanation. Additionally, GMC properties are only weakly dependent on the galactic environment, with stellar feedback playing a role that needs further investigation.