Costa Rica vs Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan is 9.6 times larger than Costa Rica. Costa Rica would fit into Turkmenistan about 9.6 times.

Costa RicaTurkmenistanCosta Rica moved onto Turkmenistan · Equal-area projection
0.1×
Costa Rica is 0.1× the area of Turkmenistan. Put the other way, Turkmenistan is 9.6× the size of Costa Rica.
Costa RicaTurkmenistan
Area51,180 km²491,210 km²
Population5,152,9507,618,847
Density101 / km²16 / km²
CapitalSan JoseAshgabat
RegionCentral AmericaCentral Asia
CoastlineHas a coastLandlocked
Neighbours24

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; Turkmenistan at 39° N is stretched to 1.66×. That difference is why Turkmenistan 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 Turkmenistan?
No. Costa Rica is 9.6 times smaller than Turkmenistan. Costa Rica covers 51,180 km² and Turkmenistan covers 491,210 km².
How many times does Costa Rica fit into Turkmenistan?
About 9.6 times: Turkmenistan has 9.6× the area of Costa Rica.
Why do Costa Rica and Turkmenistan 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 Turkmenistan about 1.66×. That is why Turkmenistan 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 Turkmenistan?
Turkmenistan: 7,618,847 people against 5,152,950. Density: Costa Rica 101 per km², Turkmenistan 16 per km².