Costa Rica vs Italy

Italy is 5.9 times larger than Costa Rica. Costa Rica would fit into Italy about 5.9 times.

Costa RicaItalyCosta Rica moved onto Italy · Equal-area projection
0.17×
Costa Rica is 0.17× the area of Italy. Put the other way, Italy is 5.9× the size of Costa Rica.
Costa RicaItaly
Area51,180 km²302,068 km²
Population5,152,95058,915,656
Density101 / km²195 / km²
CapitalSan JoseRome
RegionCentral AmericaSouthern Europe
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours26

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Costa Rica sits at about 10°N and is stretched to 1.03× its true area; Italy at 43° N is stretched to 1.85×. That difference is why Italy looks so much bigger than it is next to Costa Rica. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.

Questions about this pair

Is Costa Rica bigger than Italy?
No. Costa Rica is 5.9 times smaller than Italy. Costa Rica covers 51,180 km² and Italy covers 302,068 km².
How many times does Costa Rica fit into Italy?
About 5.9 times: Italy has 5.9× the area of Costa Rica.
Why do Costa Rica and Italy look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Costa Rica is drawn about 1.03× its true area there and Italy about 1.85×. That is why Italy looks so much bigger than it really is next to Costa Rica. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Which has more people, Costa Rica or Italy?
Italy: 58,915,656 people against 5,152,950. Density: Costa Rica 101 per km², Italy 195 per km².