Cook Islands vs Kiribati

Kiribati is 3.38 times larger than Cook Islands. Cook Islands would fit into Kiribati about 3.4 times.

Cook IslandsKiribatiCook Islands moved onto Kiribati · Equal-area projection
0.3×
Cook Islands is 0.3× the area of Kiribati. Put the other way, Kiribati is 3.38× the size of Cook Islands.
Cook IslandsKiribati
Area240 km²811 km²
Population14,222136,488
Density59 / km²168 / km²
CapitalAvaruaTarawa
RegionPolynesiaMicronesia
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours00

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; Kiribati at 1° N is stretched to 1.0×. 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 Kiribati?
No. Cook Islands is 3.38 times smaller than Kiribati. Cook Islands covers 240 km² and Kiribati covers 811 km².
How many times does Cook Islands fit into Kiribati?
About 3.4 times: Kiribati has 3.38× the area of Cook Islands.
Why do Cook Islands and Kiribati 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 Kiribati about 1.0×. 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 Kiribati?
Kiribati: 136,488 people against 14,222. Density: Cook Islands 59 per km², Kiribati 168 per km².