Nauru vs São Tomé and Principe

São Tomé and Principe is 47.7 times larger than Nauru. Nauru would fit into São Tomé and Principe about 48 times.

NauruSão Tomé and PrincipeNauru moved onto São Tomé and Principe · Equal-area projection
0.02×
Nauru is 0.02× the area of São Tomé and Principe. Put the other way, São Tomé and Principe is 47.7× the size of Nauru.
NauruSão Tomé and Principe
Area21 km²1,001 km²
Population12,025240,254
Density573 / km²240 / km²
CapitalYaren DistrictSao Tome
RegionMicronesiaMiddle 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. Nauru sits at about 1°S and is stretched to 1.0× 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 Nauru bigger than São Tomé and Principe?
No. Nauru is 47.7 times smaller than São Tomé and Principe. Nauru covers 21 km² and São Tomé and Principe covers 1,001 km².
How many times does Nauru fit into São Tomé and Principe?
About 48 times: São Tomé and Principe has 47.7× the area of Nauru.
Why do Nauru and São Tomé and Principe look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Nauru is drawn about 1.0× 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, Nauru or São Tomé and Principe?
São Tomé and Principe: 240,254 people against 12,025. Density: Nauru 573 per km², São Tomé and Principe 240 per km².