Afghanistan vs Romania

Afghanistan is 2.74 times larger than Romania. Romania would fit into Afghanistan about 2.7 times.

AfghanistanRomaniaAfghanistan moved onto Romania · Equal-area projection
2.74×
Afghanistan is 2.74× the area of Romania.
AfghanistanRomania
Area652,230 km²238,397 km²
Population43,844,11119,020,271
Density67 / km²80 / km²
CapitalKabulBucharest
RegionSouthern AsiaEastern Europe
CoastlineLandlockedHas a coast
Neighbours65

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; Romania at 46° N is stretched to 2.06×. That difference is why Romania looks so much bigger than it is next to Afghanistan. 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 Romania?
Yes. Afghanistan is 2.74 times larger than Romania. Afghanistan covers 652,230 km² and Romania covers 238,397 km².
How many times does Romania fit into Afghanistan?
About 2.7 times: Afghanistan has 2.74× the area of Romania.
Why do Afghanistan and Romania 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 Romania about 2.06×. That is why Romania looks so much bigger than it really is next to Afghanistan. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Which has more people, Afghanistan or Romania?
Afghanistan: 43,844,111 people against 19,020,271. Density: Afghanistan 67 per km², Romania 80 per km².