Costa Rica vs Switzerland
Costa Rica is 24% larger than Switzerland.
Costa RicaSwitzerlandCosta Rica moved onto Switzerland · Equal-area projection
1.24×
Costa Rica is 1.24× the area of Switzerland.
| Costa Rica | Switzerland | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 51,180 km² | 41,291 km² |
| Population | 5,152,950 | 9,092,436 |
| Density | 101 / km² | 220 / km² |
| Capital | San Jose | Bern |
| Region | Central America | Western Europe |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Landlocked |
| Neighbours | 2 | 5 |
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; Switzerland at 47° N is stretched to 2.13×. That difference is why Switzerland 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 Switzerland?
- Yes. Costa Rica is 24% larger than Switzerland. Costa Rica covers 51,180 km² and Switzerland covers 41,291 km².
- How many times does Switzerland fit into Costa Rica?
- About 1.2 times: Costa Rica has 1.24× the area of Switzerland.
- Why do Costa Rica and Switzerland 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 Switzerland about 2.13×. That is why Switzerland 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 Switzerland?
- Switzerland: 9,092,436 people against 5,152,950. Density: Costa Rica 101 per km², Switzerland 220 per km².