Botswana vs Central African Republic

Central African Republic is 7% larger than Botswana.

BotswanaCentral African RepublicBotswana moved onto Central African Republic · Equal-area projection
0.93×
Botswana is 0.93× the area of Central African Republic. Put the other way, Central African Republic is 1.07× the size of Botswana.
BotswanaCentral African Republic
Area581,737 km²622,984 km²
Population2,562,1225,513,282
Density4.4 / km²8.8 / km²
CapitalGaboroneBangui
RegionSouthern AfricaMiddle Africa
CoastlineLandlockedLandlocked
Neighbours36

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Botswana sits at about 22°S and is stretched to 1.17× its true area; Central African Republic at 7° N is stretched to 1.01×. 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 Botswana bigger than Central African Republic?
No. Botswana is 7% smaller than Central African Republic. Botswana covers 581,737 km² and Central African Republic covers 622,984 km².
How many times does Botswana fit into Central African Republic?
About 1.1 times: Central African Republic has 1.07× the area of Botswana.
Why do Botswana and Central African Republic look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Botswana is drawn about 1.17× its true area there and Central African Republic about 1.01×. 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, Botswana or Central African Republic?
Central African Republic: 5,513,282 people against 2,562,122. Density: Botswana 4.4 per km², Central African Republic 8.8 per km².