Italy vs Malaysia

Malaysia is 10% larger than Italy.

ItalyMalaysiaItaly moved onto Malaysia · Equal-area projection
0.91×
Italy is 0.91× the area of Malaysia. Put the other way, Malaysia is 1.1× the size of Italy.
ItalyMalaysia
Area302,068 km²330,803 km²
Population58,915,65635,977,838
Density195 / km²109 / km²
CapitalRomeKuala Lumpur
RegionSouthern EuropeSouth-Eastern Asia
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours63

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Italy sits at about 43°N and is stretched to 1.85× its true area; Malaysia at 4° N is stretched to 1.0×. That difference is why Italy looks so much bigger than it is next to Malaysia. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.

Questions about this pair

Is Italy bigger than Malaysia?
No. Italy is 9% smaller than Malaysia. Italy covers 302,068 km² and Malaysia covers 330,803 km².
How many times does Italy fit into Malaysia?
About 1.1 times: Malaysia has 1.1× the area of Italy.
Why do Italy and Malaysia look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Italy is drawn about 1.85× its true area there and Malaysia about 1.0×. That is why Italy looks so much bigger than it really is next to Malaysia. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Which has more people, Italy or Malaysia?
Italy: 58,915,656 people against 35,977,838. Density: Italy 195 per km², Malaysia 109 per km².