Nicaragua vs Sierra Leone

Nicaragua is 68% larger than Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone would fit into Nicaragua about 1.7 times.

NicaraguaSierra LeoneNicaragua moved onto Sierra Leone · Equal-area projection
1.68×
Nicaragua is 1.68× the area of Sierra Leone.
NicaraguaSierra Leone
Area120,340 km²71,740 km²
Population7,007,5028,819,794
Density58 / km²123 / km²
CapitalManaguaFreetown
RegionCentral AmericaWestern Africa
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours22

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Nicaragua sits at about 13°N and is stretched to 1.05× 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 Nicaragua bigger than Sierra Leone?
Yes. Nicaragua is 68% larger than Sierra Leone. Nicaragua covers 120,340 km² and Sierra Leone covers 71,740 km².
How many times does Sierra Leone fit into Nicaragua?
About 1.7 times: Nicaragua has 1.68× the area of Sierra Leone.
Why do Nicaragua and Sierra Leone look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Nicaragua is drawn about 1.05× 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, Nicaragua or Sierra Leone?
Sierra Leone: 8,819,794 people against 7,007,502. Density: Nicaragua 58 per km², Sierra Leone 123 per km².