Cuba vs Puerto Rico

Cuba is 12.1 times larger than Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico would fit into Cuba about 12 times.

CubaPuerto RicoCuba moved onto Puerto Rico · Equal-area projection
12.1×
Cuba is 12.1× the area of Puerto Rico.
CubaPuerto Rico
Area109,884 km²9,104 km²
Population10,937,2033,184,835
Density100 / km²350 / km²
CapitalHavanaSan Juan
RegionCaribbeanCaribbean
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours00

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Cuba sits at about 22°N and is stretched to 1.16× its true area; Puerto Rico at 18° N is stretched to 1.11×. 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 Cuba bigger than Puerto Rico?
Yes. Cuba is 12.1 times larger than Puerto Rico. Cuba covers 109,884 km² and Puerto Rico covers 9,104 km².
How many times does Puerto Rico fit into Cuba?
About 12 times: Cuba has 12.1× the area of Puerto Rico.
Why do Cuba and Puerto Rico look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Cuba is drawn about 1.16× its true area there and Puerto Rico about 1.11×. 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, Cuba or Puerto Rico?
Cuba: 10,937,203 people against 3,184,835. Density: Cuba 100 per km², Puerto Rico 350 per km².