Congo vs Japan

Japan is 11% larger than Congo.

CongoJapanCongo moved onto Japan · Equal-area projection
0.9×
Congo is 0.9× the area of Japan. Put the other way, Japan is 1.11× the size of Congo.
CongoJapan
Area342,000 km²377,972 km²
Population6,484,437123,366,734
Density19 / km²326 / km²
CapitalBrazzavilleTokyo
RegionMiddle AfricaEastern Asia
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours50

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Congo sits at about 1°S and is stretched to 1.0× 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 Congo. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.

Questions about this pair

Is Congo bigger than Japan?
No. Congo is 10% smaller than Japan. Congo covers 342,000 km² and Japan covers 377,972 km².
How many times does Congo fit into Japan?
About 1.1 times: Japan has 1.11× the area of Congo.
Why do Congo and Japan look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Congo is drawn about 1.0× its true area there and Japan about 1.59×. That is why Japan looks so much bigger than it really is next to Congo. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Which has more people, Congo or Japan?
Japan: 123,366,734 people against 6,484,437. Density: Congo 19 per km², Japan 326 per km².