Gambia vs Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan is 43.5 times larger than Gambia. Gambia would fit into Turkmenistan about 43 times.

GambiaTurkmenistanGambia moved onto Turkmenistan · Equal-area projection
0.02×
Gambia is 0.02× the area of Turkmenistan. Put the other way, Turkmenistan is 43.5× the size of Gambia.
GambiaTurkmenistan
Area11,300 km²491,210 km²
Population2,822,0937,618,847
Density250 / km²16 / km²
CapitalBanjulAshgabat
RegionWestern AfricaCentral Asia
CoastlineHas a coastLandlocked
Neighbours14

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Gambia sits at about 13°N and is stretched to 1.06× its true area; Turkmenistan at 39° N is stretched to 1.66×. That difference is why Turkmenistan looks so much bigger than it is next to Gambia. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.

Questions about this pair

Is Gambia bigger than Turkmenistan?
No. Gambia is 43.5 times smaller than Turkmenistan. Gambia covers 11,300 km² and Turkmenistan covers 491,210 km².
How many times does Gambia fit into Turkmenistan?
About 43 times: Turkmenistan has 43.5× the area of Gambia.
Why do Gambia and Turkmenistan look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Gambia is drawn about 1.06× its true area there and Turkmenistan about 1.66×. That is why Turkmenistan looks so much bigger than it really is next to Gambia. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Which has more people, Gambia or Turkmenistan?
Turkmenistan: 7,618,847 people against 2,822,093. Density: Gambia 250 per km², Turkmenistan 16 per km².