Belize vs Costa Rica
Costa Rica is 2.23 times larger than Belize. Belize would fit into Costa Rica about 2.2 times.
BelizeCosta RicaBelize moved onto Costa Rica · Equal-area projection
0.45×
Belize is 0.45× the area of Costa Rica. Put the other way, Costa Rica is 2.23× the size of Belize.
| Belize | Costa Rica | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 22,966 km² | 51,180 km² |
| Population | 422,924 | 5,152,950 |
| Density | 18 / km² | 101 / km² |
| Capital | Belmopan | San Jose |
| Region | Central America | Central America |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Neighbours | 2 | 2 |
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Belize sits at about 17°N and is stretched to 1.1× its true area; Costa Rica at 10° N is stretched to 1.03×. 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 Belize bigger than Costa Rica?
- No. Belize is 2.23 times smaller than Costa Rica. Belize covers 22,966 km² and Costa Rica covers 51,180 km².
- How many times does Belize fit into Costa Rica?
- About 2.2 times: Costa Rica has 2.23× the area of Belize.
- Why do Belize and Costa Rica look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Belize is drawn about 1.1× its true area there and Costa Rica about 1.03×. 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, Belize or Costa Rica?
- Costa Rica: 5,152,950 people against 422,924. Density: Belize 18 per km², Costa Rica 101 per km².