El Salvador vs São Tomé and Principe

El Salvador is 21 times larger than São Tomé and Principe. São Tomé and Principe would fit into El Salvador about 21 times.

El SalvadorSão Tomé and PrincipeEl Salvador moved onto São Tomé and Principe · Equal-area projection
21×
El Salvador is 21× the area of São Tomé and Principe.
El SalvadorSão Tomé and Principe
Area21,041 km²1,001 km²
Population6,365,503240,254
Density303 / km²240 / km²
CapitalSan SalvadorSao Tome
RegionCentral AmericaMiddle Africa
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours20

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. El Salvador sits at about 14°N and is stretched to 1.06× its true area; São Tomé and Principe at 0° N is stretched to 1.0×. 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 El Salvador bigger than São Tomé and Principe?
Yes. El Salvador is 21 times larger than São Tomé and Principe. El Salvador covers 21,041 km² and São Tomé and Principe covers 1,001 km².
How many times does São Tomé and Principe fit into El Salvador?
About 21 times: El Salvador has 21× the area of São Tomé and Principe.
Why do El Salvador and São Tomé and Principe look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. El Salvador is drawn about 1.06× its true area there and São Tomé and Principe about 1.0×. 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, El Salvador or São Tomé and Principe?
El Salvador: 6,365,503 people against 240,254. Density: El Salvador 303 per km², São Tomé and Principe 240 per km².