Ecuador vs Syria

Ecuador is 39% larger than Syria.

EcuadorSyriaEcuador moved onto Syria · Equal-area projection
1.39×
Ecuador is 1.39× the area of Syria.
EcuadorSyria
Area257,204 km²185,180 km²
Population18,289,89625,620,427
Density71 / km²138 / km²
CapitalQuitoDamascus
RegionSouth AmericaWestern Asia
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours25

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; 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 Ecuador bigger than Syria?
Yes. Ecuador is 39% larger than Syria. Ecuador covers 257,204 km² and Syria covers 185,180 km².
How many times does Syria fit into Ecuador?
About 1.4 times: Ecuador has 1.39× the area of Syria.
Why do Ecuador and Syria 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 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, Ecuador or Syria?
Syria: 25,620,427 people against 18,289,896. Density: Ecuador 71 per km², Syria 138 per km².