Ecuador vs Italy

Italy is 17% larger than Ecuador.

EcuadorItalyEcuador moved onto Italy · Equal-area projection
0.85×
Ecuador is 0.85× the area of Italy. Put the other way, Italy is 1.17× the size of Ecuador.
EcuadorItaly
Area257,204 km²302,068 km²
Population18,289,89658,915,656
Density71 / km²195 / km²
CapitalQuitoRome
RegionSouth AmericaSouthern Europe
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours26

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Ecuador sits at about 1°S and is stretched to 1.0× its true area; Italy at 43° N is stretched to 1.85×. That difference is why Italy looks so much bigger than it is next to Ecuador. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.

Questions about this pair

Is Ecuador bigger than Italy?
No. Ecuador is 15% smaller than Italy. Ecuador covers 257,204 km² and Italy covers 302,068 km².
How many times does Ecuador fit into Italy?
About 1.2 times: Italy has 1.17× the area of Ecuador.
Why do Ecuador and Italy look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Ecuador is drawn about 1.0× its true area there and Italy about 1.85×. That is why Italy looks so much bigger than it really is next to Ecuador. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Which has more people, Ecuador or Italy?
Italy: 58,915,656 people against 18,289,896. Density: Ecuador 71 per km², Italy 195 per km².