Belgium vs Costa Rica
Costa Rica is 67% larger than Belgium. Belgium would fit into Costa Rica about 1.7 times.
BelgiumCosta RicaBelgium moved onto Costa Rica · Equal-area projection
0.6×
Belgium is 0.6× the area of Costa Rica. Put the other way, Costa Rica is 1.67× the size of Belgium.
| Belgium | Costa Rica | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 30,688 km² | 51,180 km² |
| Population | 11,941,781 | 5,152,950 |
| Density | 389 / km² | 101 / km² |
| Capital | Brussels | San Jose |
| Region | Western Europe | Central America |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Neighbours | 4 | 2 |
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Belgium sits at about 51°N and is stretched to 2.49× its true area; Costa Rica at 10° N is stretched to 1.03×. That difference is why Belgium 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 Belgium bigger than Costa Rica?
- No. Belgium is 40% smaller than Costa Rica. Belgium covers 30,688 km² and Costa Rica covers 51,180 km².
- How many times does Belgium fit into Costa Rica?
- About 1.7 times: Costa Rica has 1.67× the area of Belgium.
- Why do Belgium and Costa Rica look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Belgium is drawn about 2.49× its true area there and Costa Rica about 1.03×. That is why Belgium 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, Belgium or Costa Rica?
- Belgium: 11,941,781 people against 5,152,950. Density: Belgium 389 per km², Costa Rica 101 per km².