Botswana vs New Caledonia

Botswana is 31.3 times larger than New Caledonia. New Caledonia would fit into Botswana about 31 times.

BotswanaNew CaledoniaBotswana moved onto New Caledonia · Equal-area projection
31.3×
Botswana is 31.3× the area of New Caledonia.
BotswanaNew Caledonia
Area581,737 km²18,576 km²
Population2,562,122295,333
Density4.4 / km²16 / km²
CapitalGaboroneNoum'ea
RegionSouthern AfricaMelanesia
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; New Caledonia at 21° S is stretched to 1.15×. 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 New Caledonia?
Yes. Botswana is 31.3 times larger than New Caledonia. Botswana covers 581,737 km² and New Caledonia covers 18,576 km².
How many times does New Caledonia fit into Botswana?
About 31 times: Botswana has 31.3× the area of New Caledonia.
Why do Botswana and New Caledonia 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 New Caledonia about 1.15×. 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 New Caledonia?
Botswana: 2,562,122 people against 295,333. Density: Botswana 4.4 per km², New Caledonia 16 per km².