Iran vs São Tomé and Principe

Iran is 1,647 times larger than São Tomé and Principe. São Tomé and Principe would fit into Iran about 1647 times.

IranSão Tomé and PrincipeIran moved onto São Tomé and Principe · Equal-area projection
1,647×
Iran is 1,647× the area of São Tomé and Principe.
IranSão Tomé and Principe
Area1,648,195 km²1,001 km²
Population92,417,681240,254
Density56 / km²240 / km²
CapitalTehranSao Tome
RegionSouthern AsiaMiddle Africa
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours70

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Iran sits at about 33°N and is stretched to 1.41× its true area; São Tomé and Principe at 0° N is stretched to 1.0×. 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 Iran bigger than São Tomé and Principe?
Yes. Iran is 1,647 times larger than São Tomé and Principe. Iran covers 1,648,195 km² and São Tomé and Principe covers 1,001 km².
How many times does São Tomé and Principe fit into Iran?
About 1647 times: Iran has 1,647× the area of São Tomé and Principe.
Why do Iran and São Tomé and Principe look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Iran is drawn about 1.41× its true area there and São Tomé and Principe about 1.0×. 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, Iran or São Tomé and Principe?
Iran: 92,417,681 people against 240,254. Density: Iran 56 per km², São Tomé and Principe 240 per km².