Madagascar vs Vanuatu

Madagascar is 48.2 times larger than Vanuatu. Vanuatu would fit into Madagascar about 48 times.

MadagascarVanuatuMadagascar moved onto Vanuatu · Equal-area projection
48.2×
Madagascar is 48.2× the area of Vanuatu.
MadagascarVanuatu
Area587,295 km²12,190 km²
Population32,740,678335,169
Density56 / km²27 / km²
CapitalAntananarivoPort-Vila
RegionEastern AfricaMelanesia
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours00

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; Vanuatu at 16° S is stretched to 1.08×. 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 Vanuatu?
Yes. Madagascar is 48.2 times larger than Vanuatu. Madagascar covers 587,295 km² and Vanuatu covers 12,190 km².
How many times does Vanuatu fit into Madagascar?
About 48 times: Madagascar has 48.2× the area of Vanuatu.
Why do Madagascar and Vanuatu 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 Vanuatu about 1.08×. 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 Vanuatu?
Madagascar: 32,740,678 people against 335,169. Density: Madagascar 56 per km², Vanuatu 27 per km².