Ecuador vs Nicaragua

Ecuador is 2.14 times larger than Nicaragua. Nicaragua would fit into Ecuador about 2.1 times.

EcuadorNicaraguaEcuador moved onto Nicaragua · Equal-area projection
2.14×
Ecuador is 2.14× the area of Nicaragua.
EcuadorNicaragua
Area257,204 km²120,340 km²
Population18,289,8967,007,502
Density71 / km²58 / km²
CapitalQuitoManagua
RegionSouth AmericaCentral America
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours22

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; Nicaragua at 13° N is stretched to 1.05×. 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 Ecuador bigger than Nicaragua?
Yes. Ecuador is 2.14 times larger than Nicaragua. Ecuador covers 257,204 km² and Nicaragua covers 120,340 km².
How many times does Nicaragua fit into Ecuador?
About 2.1 times: Ecuador has 2.14× the area of Nicaragua.
Why do Ecuador and Nicaragua 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 Nicaragua about 1.05×. 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, Ecuador or Nicaragua?
Ecuador: 18,289,896 people against 7,007,502. Density: Ecuador 71 per km², Nicaragua 58 per km².