Madagascar vs Romania

Madagascar is 2.46 times larger than Romania. Romania would fit into Madagascar about 2.5 times.

MadagascarRomaniaMadagascar moved onto Romania · Equal-area projection
2.46×
Madagascar is 2.46× the area of Romania.
MadagascarRomania
Area587,295 km²238,397 km²
Population32,740,67819,020,271
Density56 / km²80 / km²
CapitalAntananarivoBucharest
RegionEastern AfricaEastern Europe
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours05

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; Romania at 46° N is stretched to 2.06×. That difference is why Romania looks so much bigger than it is next to Madagascar. 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 Romania?
Yes. Madagascar is 2.46 times larger than Romania. Madagascar covers 587,295 km² and Romania covers 238,397 km².
How many times does Romania fit into Madagascar?
About 2.5 times: Madagascar has 2.46× the area of Romania.
Why do Madagascar and Romania 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 Romania about 2.06×. That is why Romania looks so much bigger than it really is next to Madagascar. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Which has more people, Madagascar or Romania?
Madagascar: 32,740,678 people against 19,020,271. Density: Madagascar 56 per km², Romania 80 per km².