Costa Rica vs Vatican City

Costa Rica is — times larger than Vatican City. Vatican City would fit into Costa Rica about Infinity times.

Costa RicaVatican CityCosta Rica moved onto Vatican City · Equal-area projection
Costa Rica is — the area of Vatican City.
Costa RicaVatican City
Area51,180 km²0 km²
Population5,152,950882
Density101 / km²0.00 / km²
CapitalSan JoseVatican City
RegionCentral AmericaSouthern Europe
CoastlineHas a coastLandlocked
Neighbours21

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; Vatican City at 42° N is stretched to 1.81×. That difference is why Vatican City 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 Vatican City?
Yes. Costa Rica is — times larger than Vatican City. Costa Rica covers 51,180 km² and Vatican City covers 0 km².
How many times does Vatican City fit into Costa Rica?
About Infinity times: Costa Rica has — the area of Vatican City.
Why do Costa Rica and Vatican City 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 Vatican City about 1.81×. That is why Vatican City 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 Vatican City?
Costa Rica: 5,152,950 people against 882. Density: Costa Rica 101 per km², Vatican City 0.00 per km².