Mauritius vs São Tomé and Principe

Mauritius is 2.04 times larger than São Tomé and Principe. São Tomé and Principe would fit into Mauritius about 2.0 times.

MauritiusSão Tomé and PrincipeMauritius moved onto São Tomé and Principe · Equal-area projection
2.04×
Mauritius is 2.04× the area of São Tomé and Principe.
MauritiusSão Tomé and Principe
Area2,040 km²1,001 km²
Population1,243,741240,254
Density610 / km²240 / km²
CapitalPort LouisSao Tome
RegionEastern AfricaMiddle Africa
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. Mauritius sits at about 20°S 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 Mauritius bigger than São Tomé and Principe?
Yes. Mauritius is 2.04 times larger than São Tomé and Principe. Mauritius covers 2,040 km² and São Tomé and Principe covers 1,001 km².
How many times does São Tomé and Principe fit into Mauritius?
About 2.0 times: Mauritius has 2.04× the area of São Tomé and Principe.
Why do Mauritius and São Tomé and Principe look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Mauritius 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, Mauritius or São Tomé and Principe?
Mauritius: 1,243,741 people against 240,254. Density: Mauritius 610 per km², São Tomé and Principe 240 per km².