Gabon vs Romania

Gabon is 12% larger than Romania.

GabonRomaniaGabon moved onto Romania · Equal-area projection
1.12×
Gabon is 1.12× the area of Romania.
GabonRomania
Area267,667 km²238,397 km²
Population2,593,13019,020,271
Density9.7 / km²80 / km²
CapitalLibrevilleBucharest
RegionMiddle AfricaEastern Europe
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours35

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; Romania at 46° N is stretched to 2.06×. That difference is why Romania 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 Romania?
Yes. Gabon is 12% larger than Romania. Gabon covers 267,667 km² and Romania covers 238,397 km².
How many times does Romania fit into Gabon?
About 1.1 times: Gabon has 1.12× the area of Romania.
Why do Gabon and Romania 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 Romania about 2.06×. That is why Romania 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 Romania?
Romania: 19,020,271 people against 2,593,130. Density: Gabon 9.7 per km², Romania 80 per km².