Costa Rica vs Suriname
Suriname is 3.19 times larger than Costa Rica. Costa Rica would fit into Suriname about 3.2 times.
Costa RicaSurinameCosta Rica moved onto Suriname · Equal-area projection
0.31×
Costa Rica is 0.31× the area of Suriname. Put the other way, Suriname is 3.19× the size of Costa Rica.
| Costa Rica | Suriname | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 51,180 km² | 163,270 km² |
| Population | 5,152,950 | 639,850 |
| Density | 101 / km² | 3.9 / km² |
| Capital | San Jose | Paramaribo |
| Region | Central America | South America |
| 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; Suriname at 4° N is stretched to 1.01×. 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 Suriname?
- No. Costa Rica is 3.19 times smaller than Suriname. Costa Rica covers 51,180 km² and Suriname covers 163,270 km².
- How many times does Costa Rica fit into Suriname?
- About 3.2 times: Suriname has 3.19× the area of Costa Rica.
- Why do Costa Rica and Suriname 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 Suriname about 1.01×. 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 Suriname?
- Costa Rica: 5,152,950 people against 639,850. Density: Costa Rica 101 per km², Suriname 3.9 per km².