Madagascar vs Paraguay

Madagascar is 44% larger than Paraguay.

MadagascarParaguayMadagascar moved onto Paraguay · Equal-area projection
1.44×
Madagascar is 1.44× the area of Paraguay.
MadagascarParaguay
Area587,295 km²406,756 km²
Population32,740,6787,013,078
Density56 / km²17 / km²
CapitalAntananarivoAsuncion
RegionEastern AfricaSouth America
CoastlineHas a coastLandlocked
Neighbours03

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; Paraguay at 23° S is stretched to 1.18×. 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 Paraguay?
Yes. Madagascar is 44% larger than Paraguay. Madagascar covers 587,295 km² and Paraguay covers 406,756 km².
How many times does Paraguay fit into Madagascar?
About 1.4 times: Madagascar has 1.44× the area of Paraguay.
Why do Madagascar and Paraguay 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 Paraguay about 1.18×. 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 Paraguay?
Madagascar: 32,740,678 people against 7,013,078. Density: Madagascar 56 per km², Paraguay 17 per km².