Congo vs Laos

Congo is 44% larger than Laos.

CongoLaosCongo moved onto Laos · Equal-area projection
1.44×
Congo is 1.44× the area of Laos.
CongoLaos
Area342,000 km²236,800 km²
Population6,484,4377,873,046
Density19 / km²33 / km²
CapitalBrazzavilleVientiane
RegionMiddle AfricaSouth-Eastern Asia
CoastlineHas a coastLandlocked
Neighbours55

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; Laos at 18° N is stretched to 1.11×. 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 Congo bigger than Laos?
Yes. Congo is 44% larger than Laos. Congo covers 342,000 km² and Laos covers 236,800 km².
How many times does Laos fit into Congo?
About 1.4 times: Congo has 1.44× the area of Laos.
Why do Congo and Laos 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 Laos about 1.11×. 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, Congo or Laos?
Laos: 7,873,046 people against 6,484,437. Density: Congo 19 per km², Laos 33 per km².