Belarus vs Laos

Laos is 14% larger than Belarus.

BelarusLaosBelarus moved onto Laos · Equal-area projection
0.88×
Belarus is 0.88× the area of Laos. Put the other way, Laos is 1.14× the size of Belarus.
BelarusLaos
Area207,597 km²236,800 km²
Population9,085,9917,873,046
Density44 / km²33 / km²
CapitalMinskVientiane
RegionEastern EuropeSouth-Eastern Asia
CoastlineLandlockedLandlocked
Neighbours55

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Belarus sits at about 54°N and is stretched to 2.83× its true area; Laos at 18° N is stretched to 1.11×. That difference is why Belarus 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 Belarus bigger than Laos?
No. Belarus is 12% smaller than Laos. Belarus covers 207,597 km² and Laos covers 236,800 km².
How many times does Belarus fit into Laos?
About 1.1 times: Laos has 1.14× the area of Belarus.
Why do Belarus and Laos look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Belarus is drawn about 2.83× its true area there and Laos about 1.11×. That is why Belarus 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, Belarus or Laos?
Belarus: 9,085,991 people against 7,873,046. Density: Belarus 44 per km², Laos 33 per km².