Belgium vs Japan
Japan is 12.3 times larger than Belgium. Belgium would fit into Japan about 12 times.
BelgiumJapanBelgium moved onto Japan · Equal-area projection
0.08×
Belgium is 0.08× the area of Japan. Put the other way, Japan is 12.3× the size of Belgium.
| Belgium | Japan | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 30,688 km² | 377,972 km² |
| Population | 11,941,781 | 123,366,734 |
| Density | 389 / km² | 326 / km² |
| Capital | Brussels | Tokyo |
| Region | Western Europe | Eastern Asia |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Neighbours | 4 | 0 |
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; Japan at 37° N is stretched to 1.59×. That difference is why Belgium looks so much bigger than it is next to Japan. 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 Japan?
- No. Belgium is 12.3 times smaller than Japan. Belgium covers 30,688 km² and Japan covers 377,972 km².
- How many times does Belgium fit into Japan?
- About 12 times: Japan has 12.3× the area of Belgium.
- Why do Belgium and Japan 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 Japan about 1.59×. That is why Belgium looks so much bigger than it really is next to Japan. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Belgium or Japan?
- Japan: 123,366,734 people against 11,941,781. Density: Belgium 389 per km², Japan 326 per km².