Kuwait vs New Caledonia

New Caledonia is 4% larger than Kuwait.

KuwaitNew CaledoniaKuwait moved onto New Caledonia · Equal-area projection
0.96×
Kuwait is 0.96× the area of New Caledonia. Put the other way, New Caledonia is 1.04× the size of Kuwait.
KuwaitNew Caledonia
Area17,818 km²18,576 km²
Population4,865,298295,333
Density273 / km²16 / km²
CapitalKuwait CityNoum'ea
RegionWestern AsiaMelanesia
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours20

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Kuwait sits at about 29°N and is stretched to 1.32× its true area; New Caledonia at 21° S is stretched to 1.15×. 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 Kuwait bigger than New Caledonia?
No. Kuwait is 4% smaller than New Caledonia. Kuwait covers 17,818 km² and New Caledonia covers 18,576 km².
How many times does Kuwait fit into New Caledonia?
About 1.0 times: New Caledonia has 1.04× the area of Kuwait.
Why do Kuwait and New Caledonia look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Kuwait is drawn about 1.32× its true area there and New Caledonia about 1.15×. 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, Kuwait or New Caledonia?
Kuwait: 4,865,298 people against 295,333. Density: Kuwait 273 per km², New Caledonia 16 per km².