Madagascar vs Panama

Madagascar is 7.92 times larger than Panama. Panama would fit into Madagascar about 7.9 times.

MadagascarPanamaMadagascar moved onto Panama · Equal-area projection
7.92×
Madagascar is 7.92× the area of Panama.
MadagascarPanama
Area587,295 km²74,177 km²
Population32,740,6784,571,189
Density56 / km²62 / km²
CapitalAntananarivoPanama City
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; Panama at 9° N is stretched to 1.02×. 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 Panama?
Yes. Madagascar is 7.92 times larger than Panama. Madagascar covers 587,295 km² and Panama covers 74,177 km².
How many times does Panama fit into Madagascar?
About 7.9 times: Madagascar has 7.92× the area of Panama.
Why do Madagascar and Panama 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 Panama about 1.02×. 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 Panama?
Madagascar: 32,740,678 people against 4,571,189. Density: Madagascar 56 per km², Panama 62 per km².