Burkina Faso vs Laos

Burkina Faso is 16% larger than Laos.

Burkina FasoLaosBurkina Faso moved onto Laos · Equal-area projection
1.16×
Burkina Faso is 1.16× the area of Laos.
Burkina FasoLaos
Area274,200 km²236,800 km²
Population24,074,5807,873,046
Density88 / km²33 / km²
CapitalOuagadougouVientiane
RegionWestern AfricaSouth-Eastern Asia
CoastlineLandlockedLandlocked
Neighbours65

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Burkina Faso sits at about 12°N and is stretched to 1.05× 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 Burkina Faso bigger than Laos?
Yes. Burkina Faso is 16% larger than Laos. Burkina Faso covers 274,200 km² and Laos covers 236,800 km².
How many times does Laos fit into Burkina Faso?
About 1.2 times: Burkina Faso has 1.16× the area of Laos.
Why do Burkina Faso and Laos look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Burkina Faso is drawn about 1.05× 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, Burkina Faso or Laos?
Burkina Faso: 24,074,580 people against 7,873,046. Density: Burkina Faso 88 per km², Laos 33 per km².