Côte d'Ivoire vs Gabon

Côte d'Ivoire is 20% larger than Gabon.

Côte d'IvoireGabonCôte d'Ivoire moved onto Gabon · Equal-area projection
1.2×
Côte d'Ivoire is 1.2× the area of Gabon.
Côte d'IvoireGabon
Area322,463 km²267,667 km²
Population32,711,5472,593,130
Density101 / km²9.7 / km²
CapitalYamoussoukroLibreville
RegionWestern AfricaMiddle Africa
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours53

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Côte d'Ivoire sits at about 8°N and is stretched to 1.02× its true area; Gabon at 1° S 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 Côte d'Ivoire bigger than Gabon?
Yes. Côte d'Ivoire is 20% larger than Gabon. Côte d'Ivoire covers 322,463 km² and Gabon covers 267,667 km².
How many times does Gabon fit into Côte d'Ivoire?
About 1.2 times: Côte d'Ivoire has 1.2× the area of Gabon.
Why do Côte d'Ivoire and Gabon look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Côte d'Ivoire is drawn about 1.02× its true area there and Gabon 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, Côte d'Ivoire or Gabon?
Côte d'Ivoire: 32,711,547 people against 2,593,130. Density: Côte d'Ivoire 101 per km², Gabon 9.7 per km².