Benin vs Malawi
Malawi is 3% larger than Benin.
BeninMalawiBenin moved onto Malawi · Equal-area projection
0.97×
Benin is 0.97× the area of Malawi. Put the other way, Malawi is 1.03× the size of Benin.
| Benin | Malawi | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 114,763 km² | 118,484 km² |
| Population | 14,814,460 | 22,216,120 |
| Density | 129 / km² | 188 / km² |
| Capital | Porto-Novo | Lilongwe |
| Region | Western Africa | Eastern Africa |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Landlocked |
| Neighbours | 4 | 3 |
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Benin sits at about 10°N and is stretched to 1.03× its true area; Malawi at 13° S is stretched to 1.06×. 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 Benin bigger than Malawi?
- No. Benin is 3% smaller than Malawi. Benin covers 114,763 km² and Malawi covers 118,484 km².
- How many times does Benin fit into Malawi?
- About 1.0 times: Malawi has 1.03× the area of Benin.
- Why do Benin and Malawi look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Benin is drawn about 1.03× its true area there and Malawi about 1.06×. 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, Benin or Malawi?
- Malawi: 22,216,120 people against 14,814,460. Density: Benin 129 per km², Malawi 188 per km².