Botswana vs Malawi

Botswana is 4.91 times larger than Malawi. Malawi would fit into Botswana about 4.9 times.

BotswanaMalawiBotswana moved onto Malawi · Equal-area projection
4.91×
Botswana is 4.91× the area of Malawi.
BotswanaMalawi
Area581,737 km²118,484 km²
Population2,562,12222,216,120
Density4.4 / km²188 / km²
CapitalGaboroneLilongwe
RegionSouthern AfricaEastern Africa
CoastlineLandlockedLandlocked
Neighbours33

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; Malawi at 13° S is stretched to 1.06×. 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 Malawi?
Yes. Botswana is 4.91 times larger than Malawi. Botswana covers 581,737 km² and Malawi covers 118,484 km².
How many times does Malawi fit into Botswana?
About 4.9 times: Botswana has 4.91× the area of Malawi.
Why do Botswana and Malawi 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 Malawi about 1.06×. 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 Malawi?
Malawi: 22,216,120 people against 2,562,122. Density: Botswana 4.4 per km², Malawi 188 per km².