Sierra Leone vs Suriname

Suriname is 2.28 times larger than Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone would fit into Suriname about 2.3 times.

Sierra LeoneSurinameSierra Leone moved onto Suriname · Equal-area projection
0.44×
Sierra Leone is 0.44× the area of Suriname. Put the other way, Suriname is 2.28× the size of Sierra Leone.
Sierra LeoneSuriname
Area71,740 km²163,270 km²
Population8,819,794639,850
Density123 / km²3.9 / km²
CapitalFreetownParamaribo
RegionWestern AfricaSouth America
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours23

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; Suriname at 4° N is stretched to 1.01×. 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 Suriname?
No. Sierra Leone is 2.28 times smaller than Suriname. Sierra Leone covers 71,740 km² and Suriname covers 163,270 km².
How many times does Sierra Leone fit into Suriname?
About 2.3 times: Suriname has 2.28× the area of Sierra Leone.
Why do Sierra Leone and Suriname 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 Suriname about 1.01×. 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 Suriname?
Sierra Leone: 8,819,794 people against 639,850. Density: Sierra Leone 123 per km², Suriname 3.9 per km².