Eritrea vs North Korea

North Korea and Eritrea are almost exactly the same size.

EritreaNorth KoreaEritrea moved onto North Korea · Equal-area projection
0.98×
Eritrea is 0.98× the area of North Korea. Put the other way, North Korea is 1.02× the size of Eritrea.
EritreaNorth Korea
Area117,600 km²120,540 km²
Population3,607,00326,571,036
Density31 / km²220 / km²
CapitalAsmaraPyongyang
RegionEastern AfricaEastern Asia
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours33

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Eritrea sits at about 15°N and is stretched to 1.08× its true area; North Korea at 40° N is stretched to 1.71×. That difference is why North Korea looks so much bigger than it is next to Eritrea. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.

Questions about this pair

Is Eritrea bigger than North Korea?
No. Eritrea and North Korea are almost exactly the same size. Eritrea covers 117,600 km² and North Korea covers 120,540 km².
How many times does Eritrea fit into North Korea?
About 1.0 times: North Korea has 1.02× the area of Eritrea.
Why do Eritrea and North Korea look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Eritrea is drawn about 1.08× its true area there and North Korea about 1.71×. That is why North Korea looks so much bigger than it really is next to Eritrea. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Which has more people, Eritrea or North Korea?
North Korea: 26,571,036 people against 3,607,003. Density: Eritrea 31 per km², North Korea 220 per km².