Afghanistan vs Iraq

Afghanistan is 49% larger than Iraq.

AfghanistanIraqAfghanistan moved onto Iraq · Equal-area projection
1.49×
Afghanistan is 1.49× the area of Iraq.
AfghanistanIraq
Area652,230 km²437,072 km²
Population43,844,11147,020,774
Density67 / km²108 / km²
CapitalKabulBaghdad
RegionSouthern AsiaWestern Asia
CoastlineLandlockedHas a coast
Neighbours66

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Afghanistan sits at about 34°N and is stretched to 1.45× its true area; Iraq at 33° N is stretched to 1.42×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.

Questions about this pair

Is Afghanistan bigger than Iraq?
Yes. Afghanistan is 49% larger than Iraq. Afghanistan covers 652,230 km² and Iraq covers 437,072 km².
How many times does Iraq fit into Afghanistan?
About 1.5 times: Afghanistan has 1.49× the area of Iraq.
Why do Afghanistan and Iraq look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Afghanistan is drawn about 1.45× its true area there and Iraq about 1.42×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Which has more people, Afghanistan or Iraq?
Iraq: 47,020,774 people against 43,844,111. Density: Afghanistan 67 per km², Iraq 108 per km².