Kazakhstan vs South Africa

Kazakhstan is 2.23 times larger than South Africa. South Africa would fit into Kazakhstan about 2.2 times.

KazakhstanSouth AfricaKazakhstan moved onto South Africa · Equal-area projection
2.23×
Kazakhstan is 2.23× the area of South Africa.
KazakhstanSouth Africa
Area2,724,900 km²1,221,037 km²
Population20,843,75464,747,319
Density7.6 / km²53 / km²
CapitalAstanaPretoria
RegionCentral AsiaSouthern Africa
CoastlineLandlockedHas a coast
Neighbours56

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Kazakhstan sits at about 48°N and is stretched to 2.27× its true area; South Africa at 29° S is stretched to 1.31×. That difference is why Kazakhstan looks so much bigger than it is next to South Africa. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.

Questions about this pair

Is Kazakhstan bigger than South Africa?
Yes. Kazakhstan is 2.23 times larger than South Africa. Kazakhstan covers 2,724,900 km² and South Africa covers 1,221,037 km².
How many times does South Africa fit into Kazakhstan?
About 2.2 times: Kazakhstan has 2.23× the area of South Africa.
Why do Kazakhstan and South Africa look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Kazakhstan is drawn about 2.27× its true area there and South Africa about 1.31×. That is why Kazakhstan looks so much bigger than it really is next to South Africa. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Which has more people, Kazakhstan or South Africa?
South Africa: 64,747,319 people against 20,843,754. Density: Kazakhstan 7.6 per km², South Africa 53 per km².