Iraq vs Japan

Iraq is 16% larger than Japan.

IraqJapanIraq moved onto Japan · Equal-area projection
1.16×
Iraq is 1.16× the area of Japan.
IraqJapan
Area437,072 km²377,972 km²
Population47,020,774123,366,734
Density108 / km²326 / km²
CapitalBaghdadTokyo
RegionWestern AsiaEastern Asia
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours60

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Iraq sits at about 33°N and is stretched to 1.42× its true area; Japan at 37° N is stretched to 1.59×. 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 Iraq bigger than Japan?
Yes. Iraq is 16% larger than Japan. Iraq covers 437,072 km² and Japan covers 377,972 km².
How many times does Japan fit into Iraq?
About 1.2 times: Iraq has 1.16× the area of Japan.
Why do Iraq and Japan look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Iraq is drawn about 1.42× its true area there and Japan about 1.59×. 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, Iraq or Japan?
Japan: 123,366,734 people against 47,020,774. Density: Iraq 108 per km², Japan 326 per km².