Mauritania vs São Tomé and Principe

Mauritania is 1,030 times larger than São Tomé and Principe. São Tomé and Principe would fit into Mauritania about 1030 times.

MauritaniaSão Tomé and PrincipeMauritania moved onto São Tomé and Principe · Equal-area projection
1,030×
Mauritania is 1,030× the area of São Tomé and Principe.
MauritaniaSão Tomé and Principe
Area1,030,700 km²1,001 km²
Population5,315,065240,254
Density5.2 / km²240 / km²
CapitalNouakchottSao Tome
RegionWestern AfricaMiddle Africa
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours40

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; São Tomé and Principe at 0° N is stretched to 1.0×. 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 Mauritania bigger than São Tomé and Principe?
Yes. Mauritania is 1,030 times larger than São Tomé and Principe. Mauritania covers 1,030,700 km² and São Tomé and Principe covers 1,001 km².
How many times does São Tomé and Principe fit into Mauritania?
About 1030 times: Mauritania has 1,030× the area of São Tomé and Principe.
Why do Mauritania and São Tomé and Principe 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 São Tomé and Principe about 1.0×. 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, Mauritania or São Tomé and Principe?
Mauritania: 5,315,065 people against 240,254. Density: Mauritania 5.2 per km², São Tomé and Principe 240 per km².