North Korea vs Sierra Leone

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

North KoreaSierra LeoneNorth Korea moved onto Sierra Leone · Equal-area projection
1.68×
North Korea is 1.68× the area of Sierra Leone.
North KoreaSierra Leone
Area120,540 km²71,740 km²
Population26,571,0368,819,794
Density220 / km²123 / km²
CapitalPyongyangFreetown
RegionEastern AsiaWestern Africa
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours32

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. North Korea sits at about 40°N and is stretched to 1.71× its true area; Sierra Leone at 9° N is stretched to 1.02×. That difference is why North Korea looks so much bigger than it is next to Sierra Leone. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.

Questions about this pair

Is North Korea bigger than Sierra Leone?
Yes. North Korea is 68% larger than Sierra Leone. North Korea covers 120,540 km² and Sierra Leone covers 71,740 km².
How many times does Sierra Leone fit into North Korea?
About 1.7 times: North Korea has 1.68× the area of Sierra Leone.
Why do North Korea and Sierra Leone look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. North Korea is drawn about 1.71× its true area there and Sierra Leone about 1.02×. That is why North Korea looks so much bigger than it really is next to Sierra Leone. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Which has more people, North Korea or Sierra Leone?
North Korea: 26,571,036 people against 8,819,794. Density: North Korea 220 per km², Sierra Leone 123 per km².