Chad vs Mauritania

Chad is 25% larger than Mauritania.

ChadMauritaniaChad moved onto Mauritania · Equal-area projection
1.25×
Chad is 1.25× the area of Mauritania.
ChadMauritania
Area1,284,000 km²1,030,700 km²
Population21,003,7055,315,065
Density16 / km²5.2 / km²
CapitalN'DjamenaNouakchott
RegionMiddle AfricaWestern Africa
CoastlineLandlockedHas a coast
Neighbours64

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Chad sits at about 15°N and is stretched to 1.07× its true area; Mauritania at 20° N is stretched to 1.14×. 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 Chad bigger than Mauritania?
Yes. Chad is 25% larger than Mauritania. Chad covers 1,284,000 km² and Mauritania covers 1,030,700 km².
How many times does Mauritania fit into Chad?
About 1.2 times: Chad has 1.25× the area of Mauritania.
Why do Chad and Mauritania look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Chad is drawn about 1.07× its true area there and Mauritania about 1.14×. 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, Chad or Mauritania?
Chad: 21,003,705 people against 5,315,065. Density: Chad 16 per km², Mauritania 5.2 per km².