Samoa vs Vanuatu

Vanuatu is 4.29 times larger than Samoa. Samoa would fit into Vanuatu about 4.3 times.

SamoaVanuatuSamoa moved onto Vanuatu · Equal-area projection
0.23×
Samoa is 0.23× the area of Vanuatu. Put the other way, Vanuatu is 4.29× the size of Samoa.
SamoaVanuatu
Area2,842 km²12,190 km²
Population219,306335,169
Density77 / km²27 / km²
CapitalApiaPort-Vila
RegionPolynesiaMelanesia
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours00

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Samoa sits at about 14°S and is stretched to 1.06× 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 Samoa bigger than Vanuatu?
No. Samoa is 4.29 times smaller than Vanuatu. Samoa covers 2,842 km² and Vanuatu covers 12,190 km².
How many times does Samoa fit into Vanuatu?
About 4.3 times: Vanuatu has 4.29× the area of Samoa.
Why do Samoa and Vanuatu look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Samoa is drawn about 1.06× 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, Samoa or Vanuatu?
Vanuatu: 335,169 people against 219,306. Density: Samoa 77 per km², Vanuatu 27 per km².