Sierra Leone vs Sri Lanka

Sierra Leone is 9% larger than Sri Lanka.

Sierra LeoneSri LankaSierra Leone moved onto Sri Lanka · Equal-area projection
1.09×
Sierra Leone is 1.09× the area of Sri Lanka.
Sierra LeoneSri Lanka
Area71,740 km²65,610 km²
Population8,819,79421,756,000
Density123 / km²332 / km²
CapitalFreetownColombo
RegionWestern AfricaSouthern Asia
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours20

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Sierra Leone sits at about 9°N and is stretched to 1.02× its true area; Sri Lanka at 8° 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 Sierra Leone bigger than Sri Lanka?
Yes. Sierra Leone is 9% larger than Sri Lanka. Sierra Leone covers 71,740 km² and Sri Lanka covers 65,610 km².
How many times does Sri Lanka fit into Sierra Leone?
About 1.1 times: Sierra Leone has 1.09× the area of Sri Lanka.
Why do Sierra Leone and Sri Lanka look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Sierra Leone is drawn about 1.02× its true area there and Sri Lanka 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, Sierra Leone or Sri Lanka?
Sri Lanka: 21,756,000 people against 8,819,794. Density: Sierra Leone 123 per km², Sri Lanka 332 per km².