DR Congo vs Saudi Arabia

DR Congo is 4% larger than Saudi Arabia.

DR CongoSaudi ArabiaDR Congo moved onto Saudi Arabia · Equal-area projection
1.04×
DR Congo is 1.04× the area of Saudi Arabia.
DR CongoSaudi Arabia
Area2,344,858 km²2,250,000 km²
Population112,832,47336,973,555
Density48 / km²16 / km²
CapitalKinshasaRiyadh
RegionMiddle AfricaWestern 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; Saudi Arabia at 24° N is stretched to 1.2×. 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 Saudi Arabia?
Yes. DR Congo is 4% larger than Saudi Arabia. DR Congo covers 2,344,858 km² and Saudi Arabia covers 2,250,000 km².
How many times does Saudi Arabia fit into DR Congo?
About 1.0 times: DR Congo has 1.04× the area of Saudi Arabia.
Why do DR Congo and Saudi Arabia 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 Saudi Arabia about 1.2×. 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 Saudi Arabia?
DR Congo: 112,832,473 people against 36,973,555. Density: DR Congo 48 per km², Saudi Arabia 16 per km².