Antarctica vs Costa Rica

Antarctica is 274 times larger than Costa Rica. Costa Rica would fit into Antarctica about 274 times.

AntarcticaCosta RicaAntarctica moved onto Costa Rica · Equal-area projection
274×
Antarctica is 274× the area of Costa Rica.
AntarcticaCosta Rica
Area14,000,000 km²51,180 km²
Population4,4005,152,950
Density0.00 / km²101 / km²
CapitalSan Jose
RegionAntarcticaCentral 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. Antarctica sits at about 85°S and is stretched to 129× its true area; Costa Rica at 10° N is stretched to 1.03×. That difference is why Antarctica looks so much bigger than it is next to Costa Rica. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.

Questions about this pair

Is Antarctica bigger than Costa Rica?
Yes. Antarctica is 274 times larger than Costa Rica. Antarctica covers 14,000,000 km² and Costa Rica covers 51,180 km².
How many times does Costa Rica fit into Antarctica?
About 274 times: Antarctica has 274× the area of Costa Rica.
Why do Antarctica and Costa Rica look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Antarctica is drawn about 129× its true area there and Costa Rica about 1.03×. That is why Antarctica looks so much bigger than it really is next to Costa Rica. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Which has more people, Antarctica or Costa Rica?
Costa Rica: 5,152,950 people against 4,400. Density: Antarctica 0.00 per km², Costa Rica 101 per km².