Latvia vs Lithuania

Lithuania and Latvia are almost exactly the same size.

LatviaLithuaniaLatvia moved onto Lithuania · Equal-area projection
0.99×
Latvia is 0.99× the area of Lithuania. Put the other way, Lithuania is 1.01× the size of Latvia.
LatviaLithuania
Area64,594 km²65,300 km²
Population1,847,7852,888,774
Density29 / km²44 / km²
CapitalRigaVilnius
RegionNorthern EuropeNorthern Europe
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours44

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Latvia sits at about 57°N and is stretched to 3.35× its true area; Lithuania at 55° N is stretched to 3.09×. 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 Latvia bigger than Lithuania?
No. Latvia and Lithuania are almost exactly the same size. Latvia covers 64,594 km² and Lithuania covers 65,300 km².
How many times does Latvia fit into Lithuania?
About 1.0 times: Lithuania has 1.01× the area of Latvia.
Why do Latvia and Lithuania look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Latvia is drawn about 3.35× its true area there and Lithuania about 3.09×. 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, Latvia or Lithuania?
Lithuania: 2,888,774 people against 1,847,785. Density: Latvia 29 per km², Lithuania 44 per km².