Belgium vs Switzerland
Switzerland is 35% larger than Belgium.
BelgiumSwitzerlandBelgium moved onto Switzerland · Equal-area projection
0.74×
Belgium is 0.74× the area of Switzerland. Put the other way, Switzerland is 1.35× the size of Belgium.
| Belgium | Switzerland | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 30,688 km² | 41,291 km² |
| Population | 11,941,781 | 9,092,436 |
| Density | 389 / km² | 220 / km² |
| Capital | Brussels | Bern |
| Region | Western Europe | Western Europe |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Landlocked |
| Neighbours | 4 | 5 |
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; Switzerland at 47° N is stretched to 2.13×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. 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 Switzerland?
- No. Belgium is 26% smaller than Switzerland. Belgium covers 30,688 km² and Switzerland covers 41,291 km².
- How many times does Belgium fit into Switzerland?
- About 1.3 times: Switzerland has 1.35× the area of Belgium.
- Why do Belgium and Switzerland 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 Switzerland about 2.13×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Belgium or Switzerland?
- Belgium: 11,941,781 people against 9,092,436. Density: Belgium 389 per km², Switzerland 220 per km².