China vs São Tomé and Principe

China is 9,587 times larger than São Tomé and Principe. São Tomé and Principe would fit into China about 9587 times.

ChinaSão Tomé and PrincipeChina moved onto São Tomé and Principe · Equal-area projection
9,587×
China is 9,587× the area of São Tomé and Principe.
ChinaSão Tomé and Principe
Area9,596,961 km²1,001 km²
Population1,406,585,000240,254
Density147 / km²240 / km²
CapitalBeijingSao Tome
RegionEastern AsiaMiddle Africa
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours170

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. China sits at about 37°N and is stretched to 1.56× its true area; São Tomé and Principe at 0° N is stretched to 1.0×. That difference is why China looks so much bigger than it is next to São Tomé and Principe. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.

Questions about this pair

Is China bigger than São Tomé and Principe?
Yes. China is 9,587 times larger than São Tomé and Principe. China covers 9,596,961 km² and São Tomé and Principe covers 1,001 km².
How many times does São Tomé and Principe fit into China?
About 9587 times: China has 9,587× the area of São Tomé and Principe.
Why do China and São Tomé and Principe look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. China is drawn about 1.56× its true area there and São Tomé and Principe about 1.0×. That is why China looks so much bigger than it really is next to São Tomé and Principe. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Which has more people, China or São Tomé and Principe?
China: 1,406,585,000 people against 240,254. Density: China 147 per km², São Tomé and Principe 240 per km².