Syria vs Uruguay

Syria is 5% larger than Uruguay.

SyriaUruguaySyria moved onto Uruguay · Equal-area projection
1.05×
Syria is 1.05× the area of Uruguay.
SyriaUruguay
Area185,180 km²176,215 km²
Population25,620,4273,384,688
Density138 / km²19 / km²
CapitalDamascusMontevideo
RegionWestern AsiaSouth America
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours52

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; Uruguay at 33° S is stretched to 1.42×. 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 Uruguay?
Yes. Syria is 5% larger than Uruguay. Syria covers 185,180 km² and Uruguay covers 176,215 km².
How many times does Uruguay fit into Syria?
About 1.1 times: Syria has 1.05× the area of Uruguay.
Why do Syria and Uruguay 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 Uruguay about 1.42×. 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 Uruguay?
Syria: 25,620,427 people against 3,384,688. Density: Syria 138 per km², Uruguay 19 per km².