Mali vs Mauritania

Mali is 20% larger than Mauritania.

MaliMauritaniaMali moved onto Mauritania · Equal-area projection
1.2×
Mali is 1.2× the area of Mauritania.
MaliMauritania
Area1,240,192 km²1,030,700 km²
Population25,198,8215,315,065
Density20 / km²5.2 / km²
CapitalBamakoNouakchott
RegionWestern AfricaWestern Africa
CoastlineLandlockedHas a coast
Neighbours74

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Mali sits at about 17°N and is stretched to 1.1× its true area; Mauritania at 20° N 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 Mali bigger than Mauritania?
Yes. Mali is 20% larger than Mauritania. Mali covers 1,240,192 km² and Mauritania covers 1,030,700 km².
How many times does Mauritania fit into Mali?
About 1.2 times: Mali has 1.2× the area of Mauritania.
Why do Mali and Mauritania look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Mali is drawn about 1.1× its true area there and Mauritania 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, Mali or Mauritania?
Mali: 25,198,821 people against 5,315,065. Density: Mali 20 per km², Mauritania 5.2 per km².