Cuba vs Sierra Leone

Cuba is 53% larger than Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone would fit into Cuba about 1.5 times.

CubaSierra LeoneCuba moved onto Sierra Leone · Equal-area projection
1.53×
Cuba is 1.53× the area of Sierra Leone.
CubaSierra Leone
Area109,884 km²71,740 km²
Population10,937,2038,819,794
Density100 / km²123 / km²
CapitalHavanaFreetown
RegionCaribbeanWestern Africa
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours02

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Cuba sits at about 22°N and is stretched to 1.16× its true area; Sierra Leone at 9° 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 Cuba bigger than Sierra Leone?
Yes. Cuba is 53% larger than Sierra Leone. Cuba covers 109,884 km² and Sierra Leone covers 71,740 km².
How many times does Sierra Leone fit into Cuba?
About 1.5 times: Cuba has 1.53× the area of Sierra Leone.
Why do Cuba and Sierra Leone look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Cuba is drawn about 1.16× its true area there and Sierra Leone 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, Cuba or Sierra Leone?
Cuba: 10,937,203 people against 8,819,794. Density: Cuba 100 per km², Sierra Leone 123 per km².