Cuba vs Suriname

Suriname is 49% larger than Cuba.

CubaSurinameCuba moved onto Suriname · Equal-area projection
0.67×
Cuba is 0.67× the area of Suriname. Put the other way, Suriname is 1.49× the size of Cuba.
CubaSuriname
Area109,884 km²163,270 km²
Population10,937,203639,850
Density100 / km²3.9 / km²
CapitalHavanaParamaribo
RegionCaribbeanSouth America
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours03

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; 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 Cuba bigger than Suriname?
No. Cuba is 33% smaller than Suriname. Cuba covers 109,884 km² and Suriname covers 163,270 km².
How many times does Cuba fit into Suriname?
About 1.5 times: Suriname has 1.49× the area of Cuba.
Why do Cuba and Suriname 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 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, Cuba or Suriname?
Cuba: 10,937,203 people against 639,850. Density: Cuba 100 per km², Suriname 3.9 per km².