Benin vs Syria

Syria is 61% larger than Benin. Benin would fit into Syria about 1.6 times.

BeninSyriaBenin moved onto Syria · Equal-area projection
0.62×
Benin is 0.62× the area of Syria. Put the other way, Syria is 1.61× the size of Benin.
BeninSyria
Area114,763 km²185,180 km²
Population14,814,46025,620,427
Density129 / km²138 / km²
CapitalPorto-NovoDamascus
RegionWestern AfricaWestern Asia
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours45

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; Syria at 35° N is stretched to 1.49×. 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 Syria?
No. Benin is 38% smaller than Syria. Benin covers 114,763 km² and Syria covers 185,180 km².
How many times does Benin fit into Syria?
About 1.6 times: Syria has 1.61× the area of Benin.
Why do Benin and Syria 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 Syria about 1.49×. 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 Syria?
Syria: 25,620,427 people against 14,814,460. Density: Benin 129 per km², Syria 138 per km².