DR Congo vs Iran

DR Congo is 42% larger than Iran.

DR CongoIranDR Congo moved onto Iran · Equal-area projection
1.42×
DR Congo is 1.42× the area of Iran.
DR CongoIran
Area2,344,858 km²1,648,195 km²
Population112,832,47392,417,681
Density48 / km²56 / km²
CapitalKinshasaTehran
RegionMiddle AfricaSouthern Asia
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours97

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. DR Congo sits at about 3°S and is stretched to 1.0× its true area; Iran at 33° N is stretched to 1.41×. 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 DR Congo bigger than Iran?
Yes. DR Congo is 42% larger than Iran. DR Congo covers 2,344,858 km² and Iran covers 1,648,195 km².
How many times does Iran fit into DR Congo?
About 1.4 times: DR Congo has 1.42× the area of Iran.
Why do DR Congo and Iran look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. DR Congo is drawn about 1.0× its true area there and Iran about 1.41×. 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, DR Congo or Iran?
DR Congo: 112,832,473 people against 92,417,681. Density: DR Congo 48 per km², Iran 56 per km².