Iraq vs South Sudan

South Sudan is 47% larger than Iraq.

IraqSouth SudanIraq moved onto South Sudan · Equal-area projection
0.68×
Iraq is 0.68× the area of South Sudan. Put the other way, South Sudan is 1.47× the size of Iraq.
IraqSouth Sudan
Area437,072 km²644,329 km²
Population47,020,77412,188,788
Density108 / km²19 / km²
CapitalBaghdadJuba
RegionWestern AsiaEastern Africa
CoastlineHas a coastLandlocked
Neighbours66

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; South Sudan at 7° N is stretched to 1.02×. 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 South Sudan?
No. Iraq is 32% smaller than South Sudan. Iraq covers 437,072 km² and South Sudan covers 644,329 km².
How many times does Iraq fit into South Sudan?
About 1.5 times: South Sudan has 1.47× the area of Iraq.
Why do Iraq and South Sudan 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 South Sudan about 1.02×. 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 South Sudan?
Iraq: 47,020,774 people against 12,188,788. Density: Iraq 108 per km², South Sudan 19 per km².