Papua New Guinea vs Tajikistan

Papua New Guinea is 3.23 times larger than Tajikistan. Tajikistan would fit into Papua New Guinea about 3.2 times.

Papua New GuineaTajikistanPapua New Guinea moved onto Tajikistan · Equal-area projection
3.23×
Papua New Guinea is 3.23× the area of Tajikistan.
Papua New GuineaTajikistan
Area462,840 km²143,100 km²
Population10,762,81710,786,734
Density23 / km²75 / km²
CapitalPort MoresbyDushanbe
RegionMelanesiaCentral Asia
CoastlineHas a coastLandlocked
Neighbours14

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; Tajikistan at 39° N is stretched to 1.63×. That difference is why Tajikistan 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 Tajikistan?
Yes. Papua New Guinea is 3.23 times larger than Tajikistan. Papua New Guinea covers 462,840 km² and Tajikistan covers 143,100 km².
How many times does Tajikistan fit into Papua New Guinea?
About 3.2 times: Papua New Guinea has 3.23× the area of Tajikistan.
Why do Papua New Guinea and Tajikistan 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 Tajikistan about 1.63×. That is why Tajikistan 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 Tajikistan?
Tajikistan: 10,786,734 people against 10,762,817. Density: Papua New Guinea 23 per km², Tajikistan 75 per km².