Belgium vs El Salvador

Belgium is 46% larger than El Salvador.

BelgiumEl SalvadorBelgium moved onto El Salvador · Equal-area projection
1.46×
Belgium is 1.46× the area of El Salvador.
BelgiumEl Salvador
Area30,688 km²21,041 km²
Population11,941,7816,365,503
Density389 / km²303 / km²
CapitalBrusselsSan Salvador
RegionWestern EuropeCentral America
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours42

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; El Salvador at 14° N is stretched to 1.06×. That difference is why Belgium looks so much bigger than it is next to El Salvador. 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 El Salvador?
Yes. Belgium is 46% larger than El Salvador. Belgium covers 30,688 km² and El Salvador covers 21,041 km².
How many times does El Salvador fit into Belgium?
About 1.5 times: Belgium has 1.46× the area of El Salvador.
Why do Belgium and El Salvador 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 El Salvador about 1.06×. That is why Belgium looks so much bigger than it really is next to El Salvador. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Which has more people, Belgium or El Salvador?
Belgium: 11,941,781 people against 6,365,503. Density: Belgium 389 per km², El Salvador 303 per km².