Botswana vs Turkmenistan

Botswana is 18% larger than Turkmenistan.

BotswanaTurkmenistanBotswana moved onto Turkmenistan · Equal-area projection
1.18×
Botswana is 1.18× the area of Turkmenistan.
BotswanaTurkmenistan
Area581,737 km²491,210 km²
Population2,562,1227,618,847
Density4.4 / km²16 / km²
CapitalGaboroneAshgabat
RegionSouthern AfricaCentral Asia
CoastlineLandlockedLandlocked
Neighbours34

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; Turkmenistan at 39° N is stretched to 1.66×. 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 Turkmenistan?
Yes. Botswana is 18% larger than Turkmenistan. Botswana covers 581,737 km² and Turkmenistan covers 491,210 km².
How many times does Turkmenistan fit into Botswana?
About 1.2 times: Botswana has 1.18× the area of Turkmenistan.
Why do Botswana and Turkmenistan 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 Turkmenistan about 1.66×. 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 Turkmenistan?
Turkmenistan: 7,618,847 people against 2,562,122. Density: Botswana 4.4 per km², Turkmenistan 16 per km².