Bulgaria vs Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is 3.52 times larger than Bulgaria. Bulgaria would fit into Zimbabwe about 3.5 times.

BulgariaZimbabweBulgaria moved onto Zimbabwe · Equal-area projection
0.28×
Bulgaria is 0.28× the area of Zimbabwe. Put the other way, Zimbabwe is 3.52× the size of Bulgaria.
BulgariaZimbabwe
Area110,994 km²390,757 km²
Population6,433,30216,950,795
Density58 / km²43 / km²
CapitalSofiaHarare
RegionEastern EuropeEastern Africa
CoastlineHas a coastLandlocked
Neighbours54

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Bulgaria sits at about 43°N and is stretched to 1.86× its true area; Zimbabwe at 19° S is stretched to 1.12×. That difference is why Bulgaria looks so much bigger than it is next to Zimbabwe. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.

Questions about this pair

Is Bulgaria bigger than Zimbabwe?
No. Bulgaria is 3.52 times smaller than Zimbabwe. Bulgaria covers 110,994 km² and Zimbabwe covers 390,757 km².
How many times does Bulgaria fit into Zimbabwe?
About 3.5 times: Zimbabwe has 3.52× the area of Bulgaria.
Why do Bulgaria and Zimbabwe look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Bulgaria is drawn about 1.86× its true area there and Zimbabwe about 1.12×. That is why Bulgaria looks so much bigger than it really is next to Zimbabwe. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Which has more people, Bulgaria or Zimbabwe?
Zimbabwe: 16,950,795 people against 6,433,302. Density: Bulgaria 58 per km², Zimbabwe 43 per km².