Costa Rica vs Kuwait

Costa Rica is 2.87 times larger than Kuwait. Kuwait would fit into Costa Rica about 2.9 times.

Costa RicaKuwaitCosta Rica moved onto Kuwait · Equal-area projection
2.87×
Costa Rica is 2.87× the area of Kuwait.
Costa RicaKuwait
Area51,180 km²17,818 km²
Population5,152,9504,865,298
Density101 / km²273 / km²
CapitalSan JoseKuwait City
RegionCentral AmericaWestern Asia
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours22

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; Kuwait at 29° N is stretched to 1.32×. 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 Costa Rica bigger than Kuwait?
Yes. Costa Rica is 2.87 times larger than Kuwait. Costa Rica covers 51,180 km² and Kuwait covers 17,818 km².
How many times does Kuwait fit into Costa Rica?
About 2.9 times: Costa Rica has 2.87× the area of Kuwait.
Why do Costa Rica and Kuwait 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 Kuwait about 1.32×. 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, Costa Rica or Kuwait?
Costa Rica: 5,152,950 people against 4,865,298. Density: Costa Rica 101 per km², Kuwait 273 per km².