Finland vs Gabon

Finland is 26% larger than Gabon.

FinlandGabonFinland moved onto Gabon · Equal-area projection
1.26×
Finland is 1.26× the area of Gabon.
FinlandGabon
Area338,478 km²267,667 km²
Population5,646,4362,593,130
Density17 / km²9.7 / km²
CapitalHelsinkiLibreville
RegionNorthern EuropeMiddle Africa
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. Finland sits at about 64°N and is stretched to 5.3× its true area; Gabon at 1° S is stretched to 1.0×. That difference is why Finland looks so much bigger than it is next to Gabon. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.

Questions about this pair

Is Finland bigger than Gabon?
Yes. Finland is 26% larger than Gabon. Finland covers 338,478 km² and Gabon covers 267,667 km².
How many times does Gabon fit into Finland?
About 1.3 times: Finland has 1.26× the area of Gabon.
Why do Finland and Gabon look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Finland is drawn about 5.3× its true area there and Gabon about 1.0×. That is why Finland looks so much bigger than it really is next to Gabon. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Which has more people, Finland or Gabon?
Finland: 5,646,436 people against 2,593,130. Density: Finland 17 per km², Gabon 9.7 per km².