Mali vs Sierra Leone

Mali is 17.3 times larger than Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone would fit into Mali about 17 times.

MaliSierra LeoneMali moved onto Sierra Leone · Equal-area projection
17.3×
Mali is 17.3× the area of Sierra Leone.
MaliSierra Leone
Area1,240,192 km²71,740 km²
Population25,198,8218,819,794
Density20 / km²123 / km²
CapitalBamakoFreetown
RegionWestern AfricaWestern Africa
CoastlineLandlockedHas a coast
Neighbours72

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; Sierra Leone at 9° N is stretched to 1.02×. 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 Sierra Leone?
Yes. Mali is 17.3 times larger than Sierra Leone. Mali covers 1,240,192 km² and Sierra Leone covers 71,740 km².
How many times does Sierra Leone fit into Mali?
About 17 times: Mali has 17.3× the area of Sierra Leone.
Why do Mali and Sierra Leone 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 Sierra Leone about 1.02×. 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 Sierra Leone?
Mali: 25,198,821 people against 8,819,794. Density: Mali 20 per km², Sierra Leone 123 per km².