Cook Islands vs Ghana

Ghana is 994 times larger than Cook Islands. Cook Islands would fit into Ghana about 994 times.

Cook IslandsGhanaCook Islands moved onto Ghana · Equal-area projection
0.0×
Cook Islands is 0.0× the area of Ghana. Put the other way, Ghana is 994× the size of Cook Islands.
Cook IslandsGhana
Area240 km²238,535 km²
Population14,22235,064,272
Density59 / km²147 / km²
CapitalAvaruaAccra
RegionPolynesiaWestern Africa
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours03

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Cook Islands sits at about 21°S and is stretched to 1.15× its true area; Ghana at 8° N is stretched to 1.02×. 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 Cook Islands bigger than Ghana?
No. Cook Islands is 994 times smaller than Ghana. Cook Islands covers 240 km² and Ghana covers 238,535 km².
How many times does Cook Islands fit into Ghana?
About 994 times: Ghana has 994× the area of Cook Islands.
Why do Cook Islands and Ghana look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Cook Islands is drawn about 1.15× its true area there and Ghana about 1.02×. 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, Cook Islands or Ghana?
Ghana: 35,064,272 people against 14,222. Density: Cook Islands 59 per km², Ghana 147 per km².