Botswana vs Japan

Botswana is 54% larger than Japan. Japan would fit into Botswana about 1.5 times.

BotswanaJapanBotswana moved onto Japan · Equal-area projection
1.54×
Botswana is 1.54× the area of Japan.
BotswanaJapan
Area581,737 km²377,972 km²
Population2,562,122123,366,734
Density4.4 / km²326 / km²
CapitalGaboroneTokyo
RegionSouthern AfricaEastern Asia
CoastlineLandlockedHas a coast
Neighbours30

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; Japan at 37° N is stretched to 1.59×. 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 Japan?
Yes. Botswana is 54% larger than Japan. Botswana covers 581,737 km² and Japan covers 377,972 km².
How many times does Japan fit into Botswana?
About 1.5 times: Botswana has 1.54× the area of Japan.
Why do Botswana and Japan 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 Japan about 1.59×. 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 Japan?
Japan: 123,366,734 people against 2,562,122. Density: Botswana 4.4 per km², Japan 326 per km².