Laos vs Syria

Laos is 28% larger than Syria.

LaosSyriaLaos moved onto Syria · Equal-area projection
1.28×
Laos is 1.28× the area of Syria.
LaosSyria
Area236,800 km²185,180 km²
Population7,873,04625,620,427
Density33 / km²138 / km²
CapitalVientianeDamascus
RegionSouth-Eastern AsiaWestern Asia
CoastlineLandlockedHas a coast
Neighbours55

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; Syria at 35° N is stretched to 1.49×. 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 Syria?
Yes. Laos is 28% larger than Syria. Laos covers 236,800 km² and Syria covers 185,180 km².
How many times does Syria fit into Laos?
About 1.3 times: Laos has 1.28× the area of Syria.
Why do Laos and Syria 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 Syria about 1.49×. 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 Syria?
Syria: 25,620,427 people against 7,873,046. Density: Laos 33 per km², Syria 138 per km².