Åland Islands vs Mauritius

Mauritius is 29% larger than Åland Islands.

Åland IslandsMauritiusÅland Islands moved onto Mauritius · Equal-area projection
0.78×
Åland Islands is 0.78× the area of Mauritius. Put the other way, Mauritius is 1.29× the size of Åland Islands.
Åland IslandsMauritius
Area1,583 km²2,040 km²
Population30,8361,243,741
Density19 / km²610 / km²
CapitalMariehamnPort Louis
RegionNorthern EuropeEastern Africa
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours00

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; Mauritius at 20° S is stretched to 1.14×. That difference is why Åland Islands looks so much bigger than it is next to Mauritius. 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 Mauritius?
No. Åland Islands is 22% smaller than Mauritius. Åland Islands covers 1,583 km² and Mauritius covers 2,040 km².
How many times does Åland Islands fit into Mauritius?
About 1.3 times: Mauritius has 1.29× the area of Åland Islands.
Why do Åland Islands and Mauritius 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 Mauritius about 1.14×. That is why Åland Islands looks so much bigger than it really is next to Mauritius. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Which has more people, Åland Islands or Mauritius?
Mauritius: 1,243,741 people against 30,836. Density: Åland Islands 19 per km², Mauritius 610 per km².