Syria vs Tajikistan

Syria is 29% larger than Tajikistan.

SyriaTajikistanSyria moved onto Tajikistan · Equal-area projection
1.29×
Syria is 1.29× the area of Tajikistan.
SyriaTajikistan
Area185,180 km²143,100 km²
Population25,620,42710,786,734
Density138 / km²75 / km²
CapitalDamascusDushanbe
RegionWestern AsiaCentral Asia
CoastlineHas a coastLandlocked
Neighbours54

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Syria sits at about 35°N and is stretched to 1.49× its true area; Tajikistan at 39° N is stretched to 1.63×. 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 Syria bigger than Tajikistan?
Yes. Syria is 29% larger than Tajikistan. Syria covers 185,180 km² and Tajikistan covers 143,100 km².
How many times does Tajikistan fit into Syria?
About 1.3 times: Syria has 1.29× the area of Tajikistan.
Why do Syria and Tajikistan look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Syria is drawn about 1.49× its true area there and Tajikistan about 1.63×. 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, Syria or Tajikistan?
Syria: 25,620,427 people against 10,786,734. Density: Syria 138 per km², Tajikistan 75 per km².