Gabon vs Iraq

Iraq is 63% larger than Gabon. Gabon would fit into Iraq about 1.6 times.

GabonIraqGabon moved onto Iraq · Equal-area projection
0.61×
Gabon is 0.61× the area of Iraq. Put the other way, Iraq is 1.63× the size of Gabon.
GabonIraq
Area267,667 km²437,072 km²
Population2,593,13047,020,774
Density9.7 / km²108 / km²
CapitalLibrevilleBaghdad
RegionMiddle AfricaWestern Asia
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours36

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Gabon sits at about 1°S and is stretched to 1.0× its true area; Iraq at 33° N is stretched to 1.42×. 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 Gabon bigger than Iraq?
No. Gabon is 39% smaller than Iraq. Gabon covers 267,667 km² and Iraq covers 437,072 km².
How many times does Gabon fit into Iraq?
About 1.6 times: Iraq has 1.63× the area of Gabon.
Why do Gabon and Iraq look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Gabon is drawn about 1.0× its true area there and Iraq about 1.42×. 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, Gabon or Iraq?
Iraq: 47,020,774 people against 2,593,130. Density: Gabon 9.7 per km², Iraq 108 per km².