Côte d'Ivoire vs Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is 21% larger than Côte d'Ivoire.

Côte d'IvoireZimbabweCôte d'Ivoire moved onto Zimbabwe · Equal-area projection
0.83×
Côte d'Ivoire is 0.83× the area of Zimbabwe. Put the other way, Zimbabwe is 1.21× the size of Côte d'Ivoire.
Côte d'IvoireZimbabwe
Area322,463 km²390,757 km²
Population32,711,54716,950,795
Density101 / km²43 / km²
CapitalYamoussoukroHarare
RegionWestern AfricaEastern Africa
CoastlineHas a coastLandlocked
Neighbours54

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; Zimbabwe at 19° S is stretched to 1.12×. 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 Zimbabwe?
No. Côte d'Ivoire is 17% smaller than Zimbabwe. Côte d'Ivoire covers 322,463 km² and Zimbabwe covers 390,757 km².
How many times does Côte d'Ivoire fit into Zimbabwe?
About 1.2 times: Zimbabwe has 1.21× the area of Côte d'Ivoire.
Why do Côte d'Ivoire and Zimbabwe 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 Zimbabwe about 1.12×. 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 Zimbabwe?
Côte d'Ivoire: 32,711,547 people against 16,950,795. Density: Côte d'Ivoire 101 per km², Zimbabwe 43 per km².