Costa Rica vs North Korea
North Korea is 2.36 times larger than Costa Rica. Costa Rica would fit into North Korea about 2.4 times.
Costa RicaNorth KoreaCosta Rica moved onto North Korea · Equal-area projection
0.42×
Costa Rica is 0.42× the area of North Korea. Put the other way, North Korea is 2.36× the size of Costa Rica.
| Costa Rica | North Korea | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 51,180 km² | 120,540 km² |
| Population | 5,152,950 | 26,571,036 |
| Density | 101 / km² | 220 / km² |
| Capital | San Jose | Pyongyang |
| Region | Central America | Eastern Asia |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Neighbours | 2 | 3 |
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; North Korea at 40° N is stretched to 1.71×. That difference is why North Korea 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 North Korea?
- No. Costa Rica is 2.36 times smaller than North Korea. Costa Rica covers 51,180 km² and North Korea covers 120,540 km².
- How many times does Costa Rica fit into North Korea?
- About 2.4 times: North Korea has 2.36× the area of Costa Rica.
- Why do Costa Rica and North Korea 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 North Korea about 1.71×. That is why North Korea 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 North Korea?
- North Korea: 26,571,036 people against 5,152,950. Density: Costa Rica 101 per km², North Korea 220 per km².