Papua New Guinea vs Romania

Papua New Guinea is 94% larger than Romania. Romania would fit into Papua New Guinea about 1.9 times.

Papua New GuineaRomaniaPapua New Guinea moved onto Romania · Equal-area projection
1.94×
Papua New Guinea is 1.94× the area of Romania.
Papua New GuineaRomania
Area462,840 km²238,397 km²
Population10,762,81719,020,271
Density23 / km²80 / km²
CapitalPort MoresbyBucharest
RegionMelanesiaEastern Europe
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours15

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Papua New Guinea sits at about 6°S and is stretched to 1.01× its true area; Romania at 46° N is stretched to 2.06×. That difference is why Romania looks so much bigger than it is next to Papua New Guinea. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.

Questions about this pair

Is Papua New Guinea bigger than Romania?
Yes. Papua New Guinea is 94% larger than Romania. Papua New Guinea covers 462,840 km² and Romania covers 238,397 km².
How many times does Romania fit into Papua New Guinea?
About 1.9 times: Papua New Guinea has 1.94× the area of Romania.
Why do Papua New Guinea and Romania look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Papua New Guinea is drawn about 1.01× its true area there and Romania about 2.06×. That is why Romania looks so much bigger than it really is next to Papua New Guinea. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Which has more people, Papua New Guinea or Romania?
Romania: 19,020,271 people against 10,762,817. Density: Papua New Guinea 23 per km², Romania 80 per km².