Gabon vs Italy

Italy is 13% larger than Gabon.

GabonItalyGabon moved onto Italy · Equal-area projection
0.89×
Gabon is 0.89× the area of Italy. Put the other way, Italy is 1.13× the size of Gabon.
GabonItaly
Area267,667 km²302,068 km²
Population2,593,13058,915,656
Density9.7 / km²195 / km²
CapitalLibrevilleRome
RegionMiddle AfricaSouthern Europe
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; Italy at 43° N is stretched to 1.85×. That difference is why Italy 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 Gabon bigger than Italy?
No. Gabon is 11% smaller than Italy. Gabon covers 267,667 km² and Italy covers 302,068 km².
How many times does Gabon fit into Italy?
About 1.1 times: Italy has 1.13× the area of Gabon.
Why do Gabon and Italy 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 Italy about 1.85×. That is why Italy 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, Gabon or Italy?
Italy: 58,915,656 people against 2,593,130. Density: Gabon 9.7 per km², Italy 195 per km².