DR Congo vs Syria

DR Congo is 12.7 times larger than Syria. Syria would fit into DR Congo about 13 times.

DR CongoSyriaDR Congo moved onto Syria · Equal-area projection
12.7×
DR Congo is 12.7× the area of Syria.
DR CongoSyria
Area2,344,858 km²185,180 km²
Population112,832,47325,620,427
Density48 / km²138 / km²
CapitalKinshasaDamascus
RegionMiddle AfricaWestern Asia
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours95

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; Syria at 35° N is stretched to 1.49×. 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 Syria?
Yes. DR Congo is 12.7 times larger than Syria. DR Congo covers 2,344,858 km² and Syria covers 185,180 km².
How many times does Syria fit into DR Congo?
About 13 times: DR Congo has 12.7× the area of Syria.
Why do DR Congo and Syria 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 Syria about 1.49×. 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 Syria?
DR Congo: 112,832,473 people against 25,620,427. Density: DR Congo 48 per km², Syria 138 per km².