North America · True size
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
2.3×
Costa Rica is drawn 2.3× smaller on the old map than it really is.
True area
51,512 km²
On the old map
2.3×
drawn smaller than true
Distortion rank
#142
of 176 · 1 = most inflated
Share of world land
0.04%
On the old map
Costa Rica looks about the same size as Israel on the old map — it isn't.
Shapes above: Costa Rica at the size the old map gives it, next to Israel's true size. Costa Rica's real area is 51,512 km² — Israel is 22,284 km².
By area
Costa Rica would fit inside the United Kingdom, New Zealand and the Philippines, by area.
How many fit?
Israel fits inside Costa Rica 2.3 times. Qatar fits inside Costa Rica 4.7 times.
Why the old map gets it wrong
The old map stretches land more the further it is from the equator — twice the area at 45°, four times at 60°. Costa Rica's middle sits at 10°N, where the stretch is about 1.0×.
Area stretch on the old map at each latitude, equator to 80°. The number at the top of this page compares Costa Rica's whole share of the old map with its real share of the world's land.