Mauritania vs Mongolia

Mongolia is 52% larger than Mauritania. Mauritania would fit into Mongolia about 1.5 times.

MauritaniaMongoliaMauritania moved onto Mongolia · Equal-area projection
0.66×
Mauritania is 0.66× the area of Mongolia. Put the other way, Mongolia is 1.52× the size of Mauritania.
MauritaniaMongolia
Area1,030,700 km²1,564,116 km²
Population5,315,0653,568,978
Density5.2 / km²2.3 / km²
CapitalNouakchottUlaanbaatar
RegionWestern AfricaEastern Asia
CoastlineHas a coastLandlocked
Neighbours42

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Mauritania sits at about 20°N and is stretched to 1.14× its true area; Mongolia at 47° N is stretched to 2.15×. That difference is why Mongolia looks so much bigger than it is next to Mauritania. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.

Questions about this pair

Is Mauritania bigger than Mongolia?
No. Mauritania is 34% smaller than Mongolia. Mauritania covers 1,030,700 km² and Mongolia covers 1,564,116 km².
How many times does Mauritania fit into Mongolia?
About 1.5 times: Mongolia has 1.52× the area of Mauritania.
Why do Mauritania and Mongolia look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Mauritania is drawn about 1.14× its true area there and Mongolia about 2.15×. That is why Mongolia looks so much bigger than it really is next to Mauritania. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Which has more people, Mauritania or Mongolia?
Mauritania: 5,315,065 people against 3,568,978. Density: Mauritania 5.2 per km², Mongolia 2.3 per km².