Afghanistan vs New Zealand

Afghanistan is 2.43 times larger than New Zealand. New Zealand would fit into Afghanistan about 2.4 times.

AfghanistanNew ZealandAfghanistan moved onto New Zealand · Equal-area projection
2.43×
Afghanistan is 2.43× the area of New Zealand.
AfghanistanNew Zealand
Area652,230 km²268,021 km²
Population43,844,1115,324,700
Density67 / km²20 / km²
CapitalKabulWellington
RegionSouthern AsiaAustralia and New Zealand
CoastlineLandlockedHas a coast
Neighbours60

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; New Zealand at 42° S is stretched to 1.79×. 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 New Zealand?
Yes. Afghanistan is 2.43 times larger than New Zealand. Afghanistan covers 652,230 km² and New Zealand covers 268,021 km².
How many times does New Zealand fit into Afghanistan?
About 2.4 times: Afghanistan has 2.43× the area of New Zealand.
Why do Afghanistan and New Zealand 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 New Zealand about 1.79×. 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 New Zealand?
Afghanistan: 43,844,111 people against 5,324,700. Density: Afghanistan 67 per km², New Zealand 20 per km².