Madagascar vs Nicaragua

Madagascar is 4.88 times larger than Nicaragua. Nicaragua would fit into Madagascar about 4.9 times.

MadagascarNicaraguaMadagascar moved onto Nicaragua · Equal-area projection
4.88×
Madagascar is 4.88× the area of Nicaragua.
MadagascarNicaragua
Area587,295 km²120,340 km²
Population32,740,6787,007,502
Density56 / km²58 / km²
CapitalAntananarivoManagua
RegionEastern AfricaCentral America
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours02

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Madagascar sits at about 19°S and is stretched to 1.12× its true area; Nicaragua at 13° N is stretched to 1.05×. 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 Madagascar bigger than Nicaragua?
Yes. Madagascar is 4.88 times larger than Nicaragua. Madagascar covers 587,295 km² and Nicaragua covers 120,340 km².
How many times does Nicaragua fit into Madagascar?
About 4.9 times: Madagascar has 4.88× the area of Nicaragua.
Why do Madagascar and Nicaragua look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Madagascar is drawn about 1.12× its true area there and Nicaragua about 1.05×. 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, Madagascar or Nicaragua?
Madagascar: 32,740,678 people against 7,007,502. Density: Madagascar 56 per km², Nicaragua 58 per km².