Congo vs Paraguay

Paraguay is 19% larger than Congo.

CongoParaguayCongo moved onto Paraguay · Equal-area projection
0.84×
Congo is 0.84× the area of Paraguay. Put the other way, Paraguay is 1.19× the size of Congo.
CongoParaguay
Area342,000 km²406,756 km²
Population6,484,4377,013,078
Density19 / km²17 / km²
CapitalBrazzavilleAsuncion
RegionMiddle AfricaSouth America
CoastlineHas a coastLandlocked
Neighbours53

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; Paraguay at 23° S is stretched to 1.18×. 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 Paraguay?
No. Congo is 16% smaller than Paraguay. Congo covers 342,000 km² and Paraguay covers 406,756 km².
How many times does Congo fit into Paraguay?
About 1.2 times: Paraguay has 1.19× the area of Congo.
Why do Congo and Paraguay 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 Paraguay about 1.18×. 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 Paraguay?
Paraguay: 7,013,078 people against 6,484,437. Density: Congo 19 per km², Paraguay 17 per km².