São Tomé and Principe vs Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is 390 times larger than São Tomé and Principe. São Tomé and Principe would fit into Zimbabwe about 390 times.

São Tomé and PrincipeZimbabweSão Tomé and Principe moved onto Zimbabwe · Equal-area projection
0.0×
São Tomé and Principe is 0.0× the area of Zimbabwe. Put the other way, Zimbabwe is 390× the size of São Tomé and Principe.
São Tomé and PrincipeZimbabwe
Area1,001 km²390,757 km²
Population240,25416,950,795
Density240 / km²43 / km²
CapitalSao TomeHarare
RegionMiddle AfricaEastern Africa
CoastlineHas a coastLandlocked
Neighbours04

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; Zimbabwe at 19° S is stretched to 1.12×. 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 Zimbabwe?
No. São Tomé and Principe is 390 times smaller than Zimbabwe. São Tomé and Principe covers 1,001 km² and Zimbabwe covers 390,757 km².
How many times does São Tomé and Principe fit into Zimbabwe?
About 390 times: Zimbabwe has 390× the area of São Tomé and Principe.
Why do São Tomé and Principe and Zimbabwe 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 Zimbabwe about 1.12×. 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 Zimbabwe?
Zimbabwe: 16,950,795 people against 240,254. Density: São Tomé and Principe 240 per km², Zimbabwe 43 per km².