Japan vs Somalia

Somalia is 69% larger than Japan. Japan would fit into Somalia about 1.7 times.

JapanSomaliaJapan moved onto Somalia · Equal-area projection
0.59×
Japan is 0.59× the area of Somalia. Put the other way, Somalia is 1.69× the size of Japan.
JapanSomalia
Area377,972 km²637,657 km²
Population123,366,73419,654,739
Density326 / km²31 / km²
CapitalTokyoMogadishu
RegionEastern AsiaEastern Africa
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours03

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Japan sits at about 37°N and is stretched to 1.59× its true area; Somalia at 5° N is stretched to 1.01×. That difference is why Japan looks so much bigger than it is next to Somalia. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.

Questions about this pair

Is Japan bigger than Somalia?
No. Japan is 41% smaller than Somalia. Japan covers 377,972 km² and Somalia covers 637,657 km².
How many times does Japan fit into Somalia?
About 1.7 times: Somalia has 1.69× the area of Japan.
Why do Japan and Somalia look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Japan is drawn about 1.59× its true area there and Somalia about 1.01×. That is why Japan looks so much bigger than it really is next to Somalia. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Which has more people, Japan or Somalia?
Japan: 123,366,734 people against 19,654,739. Density: Japan 326 per km², Somalia 31 per km².