Belgium vs Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic is 59% larger than Belgium. Belgium would fit into Dominican Republic about 1.6 times.

BelgiumDominican RepublicBelgium moved onto Dominican Republic · Equal-area projection
0.63×
Belgium is 0.63× the area of Dominican Republic. Put the other way, Dominican Republic is 1.59× the size of Belgium.
BelgiumDominican Republic
Area30,688 km²48,671 km²
Population11,941,78111,520,487
Density389 / km²237 / km²
CapitalBrusselsSanto Domingo
RegionWestern EuropeCaribbean
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours41

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; Dominican Republic at 19° N is stretched to 1.12×. That difference is why Belgium looks so much bigger than it is next to Dominican Republic. 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 Dominican Republic?
No. Belgium is 37% smaller than Dominican Republic. Belgium covers 30,688 km² and Dominican Republic covers 48,671 km².
How many times does Belgium fit into Dominican Republic?
About 1.6 times: Dominican Republic has 1.59× the area of Belgium.
Why do Belgium and Dominican Republic 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 Dominican Republic about 1.12×. That is why Belgium looks so much bigger than it really is next to Dominican Republic. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Which has more people, Belgium or Dominican Republic?
Belgium: 11,941,781 people against 11,520,487. Density: Belgium 389 per km², Dominican Republic 237 per km².