American Samoa vs Costa Rica

Costa Rica is 257 times larger than American Samoa. American Samoa would fit into Costa Rica about 257 times.

American SamoaCosta RicaAmerican Samoa moved onto Costa Rica · Equal-area projection
0.0×
American Samoa is 0.0× the area of Costa Rica. Put the other way, Costa Rica is 257× the size of American Samoa.
American SamoaCosta Rica
Area199 km²51,180 km²
Population46,0295,152,950
Density231 / km²101 / km²
CapitalPago PagoSan Jose
RegionPolynesiaCentral America
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours02

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. American Samoa sits at about 14°S and is stretched to 1.06× its true area; Costa Rica at 10° N is stretched to 1.03×. 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 American Samoa bigger than Costa Rica?
No. American Samoa is 257 times smaller than Costa Rica. American Samoa covers 199 km² and Costa Rica covers 51,180 km².
How many times does American Samoa fit into Costa Rica?
About 257 times: Costa Rica has 257× the area of American Samoa.
Why do American Samoa and Costa Rica look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. American Samoa is drawn about 1.06× its true area there and Costa Rica about 1.03×. 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, American Samoa or Costa Rica?
Costa Rica: 5,152,950 people against 46,029. Density: American Samoa 231 per km², Costa Rica 101 per km².