Laos vs Qatar

Laos is 20.7 times larger than Qatar. Qatar would fit into Laos about 21 times.

LaosQatarLaos moved onto Qatar · Equal-area projection
20.7×
Laos is 20.7× the area of Qatar.
LaosQatar
Area236,800 km²11,437 km²
Population7,873,0462,972,215
Density33 / km²260 / km²
CapitalVientianeDoha
RegionSouth-Eastern AsiaWestern Asia
CoastlineLandlockedHas a coast
Neighbours51

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Laos sits at about 18°N and is stretched to 1.11× its true area; Qatar at 25° N is stretched to 1.22×. 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 Laos bigger than Qatar?
Yes. Laos is 20.7 times larger than Qatar. Laos covers 236,800 km² and Qatar covers 11,437 km².
How many times does Qatar fit into Laos?
About 21 times: Laos has 20.7× the area of Qatar.
Why do Laos and Qatar look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Laos is drawn about 1.11× its true area there and Qatar about 1.22×. 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, Laos or Qatar?
Laos: 7,873,046 people against 2,972,215. Density: Laos 33 per km², Qatar 260 per km².