Botswana vs Kenya

Botswana and Kenya are almost exactly the same size.

BotswanaKenyaBotswana moved onto Kenya · Equal-area projection
1.0×
Botswana is 1.0× the area of Kenya.
BotswanaKenya
Area581,737 km²581,309 km²
Population2,562,12257,532,493
Density4.4 / km²99 / km²
CapitalGaboroneNairobi
RegionSouthern AfricaEastern Africa
CoastlineLandlockedHas a coast
Neighbours35

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; Kenya at 1° N is stretched to 1.0×. 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 Kenya?
Yes. Botswana and Kenya are almost exactly the same size. Botswana covers 581,737 km² and Kenya covers 581,309 km².
How many times does Kenya fit into Botswana?
About 1.0 times: Botswana has 1.0× the area of Kenya.
Why do Botswana and Kenya 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 Kenya about 1.0×. 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 Kenya?
Kenya: 57,532,493 people against 2,562,122. Density: Botswana 4.4 per km², Kenya 99 per km².