Botswana vs Laos
Botswana is 2.46 times larger than Laos. Laos would fit into Botswana about 2.5 times.
BotswanaLaosBotswana moved onto Laos · Equal-area projection
2.46×
Botswana is 2.46× the area of Laos.
| Botswana | Laos | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 581,737 km² | 236,800 km² |
| Population | 2,562,122 | 7,873,046 |
| Density | 4.4 / km² | 33 / km² |
| Capital | Gaborone | Vientiane |
| Region | Southern Africa | South-Eastern Asia |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Landlocked |
| Neighbours | 3 | 5 |
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; Laos at 18° N is stretched to 1.11×. 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 Laos?
- Yes. Botswana is 2.46 times larger than Laos. Botswana covers 581,737 km² and Laos covers 236,800 km².
- How many times does Laos fit into Botswana?
- About 2.5 times: Botswana has 2.46× the area of Laos.
- Why do Botswana and Laos 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 Laos about 1.11×. 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 Laos?
- Laos: 7,873,046 people against 2,562,122. Density: Botswana 4.4 per km², Laos 33 per km².