Côte d'Ivoire vs Zambia

Zambia is 2.33 times larger than Côte d'Ivoire. Côte d'Ivoire would fit into Zambia about 2.3 times.

Côte d'IvoireZambiaCôte d'Ivoire moved onto Zambia · Equal-area projection
0.43×
Côte d'Ivoire is 0.43× the area of Zambia. Put the other way, Zambia is 2.33× the size of Côte d'Ivoire.
Côte d'IvoireZambia
Area322,463 km²752,618 km²
Population32,711,54721,913,874
Density101 / km²29 / km²
CapitalYamoussoukroLusaka
RegionWestern AfricaEastern Africa
CoastlineHas a coastLandlocked
Neighbours57

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; Zambia at 13° S is stretched to 1.06×. 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 Zambia?
No. Côte d'Ivoire is 2.33 times smaller than Zambia. Côte d'Ivoire covers 322,463 km² and Zambia covers 752,618 km².
How many times does Côte d'Ivoire fit into Zambia?
About 2.3 times: Zambia has 2.33× the area of Côte d'Ivoire.
Why do Côte d'Ivoire and Zambia 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 Zambia about 1.06×. 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 Zambia?
Côte d'Ivoire: 32,711,547 people against 21,913,874. Density: Côte d'Ivoire 101 per km², Zambia 29 per km².