São Tomé and Principe vs Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone is 71.7 times larger than São Tomé and Principe. São Tomé and Principe would fit into Sierra Leone about 72 times.

São Tomé and PrincipeSierra LeoneSão Tomé and Principe moved onto Sierra Leone · Equal-area projection
0.01×
São Tomé and Principe is 0.01× the area of Sierra Leone. Put the other way, Sierra Leone is 71.7× the size of São Tomé and Principe.
São Tomé and PrincipeSierra Leone
Area1,001 km²71,740 km²
Population240,2548,819,794
Density240 / km²123 / km²
CapitalSao TomeFreetown
RegionMiddle AfricaWestern Africa
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours02

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. São Tomé and Principe sits at about 0°N and is stretched to 1.0× its true area; Sierra Leone at 9° N is stretched to 1.02×. 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 São Tomé and Principe bigger than Sierra Leone?
No. São Tomé and Principe is 71.7 times smaller than Sierra Leone. São Tomé and Principe covers 1,001 km² and Sierra Leone covers 71,740 km².
How many times does São Tomé and Principe fit into Sierra Leone?
About 72 times: Sierra Leone has 71.7× the area of São Tomé and Principe.
Why do São Tomé and Principe and Sierra Leone look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. São Tomé and Principe is drawn about 1.0× its true area there and Sierra Leone about 1.02×. 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, São Tomé and Principe or Sierra Leone?
Sierra Leone: 8,819,794 people against 240,254. Density: São Tomé and Principe 240 per km², Sierra Leone 123 per km².