Laos vs Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan is 2.07 times larger than Laos. Laos would fit into Turkmenistan about 2.1 times.

LaosTurkmenistanLaos moved onto Turkmenistan · Equal-area projection
0.48×
Laos is 0.48× the area of Turkmenistan. Put the other way, Turkmenistan is 2.07× the size of Laos.
LaosTurkmenistan
Area236,800 km²491,210 km²
Population7,873,0467,618,847
Density33 / km²16 / km²
CapitalVientianeAshgabat
RegionSouth-Eastern AsiaCentral Asia
CoastlineLandlockedLandlocked
Neighbours54

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; Turkmenistan at 39° N is stretched to 1.66×. That difference is why Turkmenistan looks so much bigger than it is next to Laos. 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 Turkmenistan?
No. Laos is 2.07 times smaller than Turkmenistan. Laos covers 236,800 km² and Turkmenistan covers 491,210 km².
How many times does Laos fit into Turkmenistan?
About 2.1 times: Turkmenistan has 2.07× the area of Laos.
Why do Laos and Turkmenistan 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 Turkmenistan about 1.66×. That is why Turkmenistan looks so much bigger than it really is next to Laos. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Which has more people, Laos or Turkmenistan?
Laos: 7,873,046 people against 7,618,847. Density: Laos 33 per km², Turkmenistan 16 per km².