Cameroon vs Japan

Cameroon is 26% larger than Japan.

CameroonJapanCameroon moved onto Japan · Equal-area projection
1.26×
Cameroon is 1.26× the area of Japan.
CameroonJapan
Area475,442 km²377,972 km²
Population29,879,337123,366,734
Density63 / km²326 / km²
CapitalYaoundeTokyo
RegionMiddle AfricaEastern Asia
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours60

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Cameroon sits at about 6°N and is stretched to 1.01× its true area; Japan at 37° N is stretched to 1.59×. That difference is why Japan looks so much bigger than it is next to Cameroon. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.

Questions about this pair

Is Cameroon bigger than Japan?
Yes. Cameroon is 26% larger than Japan. Cameroon covers 475,442 km² and Japan covers 377,972 km².
How many times does Japan fit into Cameroon?
About 1.3 times: Cameroon has 1.26× the area of Japan.
Why do Cameroon and Japan look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Cameroon is drawn about 1.01× its true area there and Japan about 1.59×. That is why Japan looks so much bigger than it really is next to Cameroon. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Which has more people, Cameroon or Japan?
Japan: 123,366,734 people against 29,879,337. Density: Cameroon 63 per km², Japan 326 per km².