Djibouti vs New Caledonia

Djibouti is 25% larger than New Caledonia.

DjiboutiNew CaledoniaDjibouti moved onto New Caledonia · Equal-area projection
1.25×
Djibouti is 1.25× the area of New Caledonia.
DjiboutiNew Caledonia
Area23,200 km²18,576 km²
Population1,184,076295,333
Density51 / km²16 / km²
CapitalDjiboutiNoum'ea
RegionEastern AfricaMelanesia
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours30

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Djibouti sits at about 12°N and is stretched to 1.04× its true area; New Caledonia at 21° S is stretched to 1.15×. 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 Djibouti bigger than New Caledonia?
Yes. Djibouti is 25% larger than New Caledonia. Djibouti covers 23,200 km² and New Caledonia covers 18,576 km².
How many times does New Caledonia fit into Djibouti?
About 1.2 times: Djibouti has 1.25× the area of New Caledonia.
Why do Djibouti and New Caledonia look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Djibouti is drawn about 1.04× its true area there and New Caledonia about 1.15×. 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, Djibouti or New Caledonia?
Djibouti: 1,184,076 people against 295,333. Density: Djibouti 51 per km², New Caledonia 16 per km².