Latvia vs Taiwan

Latvia is 78% larger than Taiwan. Taiwan would fit into Latvia about 1.8 times.

LatviaTaiwanLatvia moved onto Taiwan · Equal-area projection
1.78×
Latvia is 1.78× the area of Taiwan.
LatviaTaiwan
Area64,594 km²36,193 km²
Population1,847,78523,262,544
Density29 / km²643 / km²
CapitalRigaTaipei
RegionNorthern EuropeEastern Asia
CoastlineHas a coastHas a coast
Neighbours40

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; Taiwan at 24° N is stretched to 1.19×. That difference is why Latvia looks so much bigger than it is next to Taiwan. 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 Taiwan?
Yes. Latvia is 78% larger than Taiwan. Latvia covers 64,594 km² and Taiwan covers 36,193 km².
How many times does Taiwan fit into Latvia?
About 1.8 times: Latvia has 1.78× the area of Taiwan.
Why do Latvia and Taiwan 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 Taiwan about 1.19×. That is why Latvia looks so much bigger than it really is next to Taiwan. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Which has more people, Latvia or Taiwan?
Taiwan: 23,262,544 people against 1,847,785. Density: Latvia 29 per km², Taiwan 643 per km².