Central African Republic vs Malawi

Central African Republic is 5.26 times larger than Malawi. Malawi would fit into Central African Republic about 5.3 times.

Central African RepublicMalawiCentral African Republic moved onto Malawi · Equal-area projection
5.26×
Central African Republic is 5.26× the area of Malawi.
Central African RepublicMalawi
Area622,984 km²118,484 km²
Population5,513,28222,216,120
Density8.8 / km²188 / km²
CapitalBanguiLilongwe
RegionMiddle AfricaEastern Africa
CoastlineLandlockedLandlocked
Neighbours63

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Central African Republic sits at about 7°N and is stretched to 1.01× its true area; Malawi at 13° S is stretched to 1.06×. 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 Central African Republic bigger than Malawi?
Yes. Central African Republic is 5.26 times larger than Malawi. Central African Republic covers 622,984 km² and Malawi covers 118,484 km².
How many times does Malawi fit into Central African Republic?
About 5.3 times: Central African Republic has 5.26× the area of Malawi.
Why do Central African Republic and Malawi look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Central African Republic is drawn about 1.01× its true area there and Malawi about 1.06×. 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, Central African Republic or Malawi?
Malawi: 22,216,120 people against 5,513,282. Density: Central African Republic 8.8 per km², Malawi 188 per km².