Kuwait vs São Tomé and Principe

Kuwait is 17.8 times larger than São Tomé and Principe. São Tomé and Principe would fit into Kuwait about 18 times.

KuwaitSão Tomé and PrincipeKuwait moved onto São Tomé and Principe · Equal-area projection
17.8×
Kuwait is 17.8× the area of São Tomé and Principe.
KuwaitSão Tomé and Principe
Area17,818 km²1,001 km²
Population4,865,298240,254
Density273 / km²240 / km²
CapitalKuwait CitySao Tome
RegionWestern AsiaMiddle Africa
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; São Tomé and Principe at 0° N is stretched to 1.0×. 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 São Tomé and Principe?
Yes. Kuwait is 17.8 times larger than São Tomé and Principe. Kuwait covers 17,818 km² and São Tomé and Principe covers 1,001 km².
How many times does São Tomé and Principe fit into Kuwait?
About 18 times: Kuwait has 17.8× the area of São Tomé and Principe.
Why do Kuwait and São Tomé and Principe 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 São Tomé and Principe about 1.0×. 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 São Tomé and Principe?
Kuwait: 4,865,298 people against 240,254. Density: Kuwait 273 per km², São Tomé and Principe 240 per km².