Nicaragua vs Vanuatu

Nicaragua is 9.87 times larger than Vanuatu. Vanuatu would fit into Nicaragua about 9.9 times.

NicaraguaVanuatuNicaragua moved onto Vanuatu · Equal-area projection
9.87×
Nicaragua is 9.87× the area of Vanuatu.
NicaraguaVanuatu
Area120,340 km²12,190 km²
Population7,007,502335,169
Density58 / km²27 / km²
CapitalManaguaPort-Vila
RegionCentral AmericaMelanesia
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours20

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; Vanuatu at 16° S is stretched to 1.08×. 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 Vanuatu?
Yes. Nicaragua is 9.87 times larger than Vanuatu. Nicaragua covers 120,340 km² and Vanuatu covers 12,190 km².
How many times does Vanuatu fit into Nicaragua?
About 9.9 times: Nicaragua has 9.87× the area of Vanuatu.
Why do Nicaragua and Vanuatu 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 Vanuatu about 1.08×. 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 Vanuatu?
Nicaragua: 7,007,502 people against 335,169. Density: Nicaragua 58 per km², Vanuatu 27 per km².