Åland Islands vs Laos

Laos is 150 times larger than Åland Islands. Åland Islands would fit into Laos about 150 times.

Åland IslandsLaosÅland Islands moved onto Laos · Equal-area projection
0.01×
Åland Islands is 0.01× the area of Laos. Put the other way, Laos is 150× the size of Åland Islands.
Åland IslandsLaos
Area1,583 km²236,800 km²
Population30,8367,873,046
Density19 / km²33 / km²
CapitalMariehamnVientiane
RegionNorthern EuropeSouth-Eastern Asia
CoastlineHas a coastLandlocked
Neighbours05

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Åland Islands sits at about 60°N and is stretched to 4.05× its true area; Laos at 18° N is stretched to 1.11×. That difference is why Åland Islands looks so much bigger than it is next to Laos. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.

Questions about this pair

Is Åland Islands bigger than Laos?
No. Åland Islands is 150 times smaller than Laos. Åland Islands covers 1,583 km² and Laos covers 236,800 km².
How many times does Åland Islands fit into Laos?
About 150 times: Laos has 150× the area of Åland Islands.
Why do Åland Islands and Laos look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Åland Islands is drawn about 4.05× its true area there and Laos about 1.11×. That is why Åland Islands looks so much bigger than it really is next to Laos. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Which has more people, Åland Islands or Laos?
Laos: 7,873,046 people against 30,836. Density: Åland Islands 19 per km², Laos 33 per km².