Maldives vs Tonga

Tonga is 2.51 times larger than Maldives. Maldives would fit into Tonga about 2.5 times.

MaldivesTongaMaldives moved onto Tonga · Equal-area projection
0.4×
Maldives is 0.4× the area of Tonga. Put the other way, Tonga is 2.51× the size of Maldives.
MaldivesTonga
Area298 km²749 km²
Population529,676103,742
Density1,777 / km²139 / km²
CapitalMaleNuku'alofa
RegionSouthern AsiaPolynesia
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. Maldives sits at about 4°N and is stretched to 1.0× its true area; Tonga at 20° S is stretched to 1.14×. 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 Maldives bigger than Tonga?
No. Maldives is 2.51 times smaller than Tonga. Maldives covers 298 km² and Tonga covers 749 km².
How many times does Maldives fit into Tonga?
About 2.5 times: Tonga has 2.51× the area of Maldives.
Why do Maldives and Tonga look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Maldives is drawn about 1.0× its true area there and Tonga about 1.14×. 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, Maldives or Tonga?
Maldives: 529,676 people against 103,742. Density: Maldives 1,777 per km², Tonga 139 per km².