Real size
How big is Costa Rica really?
51,500 km²
19,900 sq mi · 41st smallest of the 167 here · about the size of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Normal web maps show it about the right size
Costa Rica covers 51,500 km² (19,900 sq mi), about the size of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It sits close to the equator, where normal web maps barely stretch land, so they show it at about its real size, and make countries farther from the equator look bigger than it.
Measured from our map outlines, so official figures can differ by a few percent. Ranks count the 167 countries and territories on these pages: those over 5,000 km², not counting disputed territories.
- Real area
- 51,500 km²
- Size rank
- 127th of 167
- On a normal web map
- About right
- Latitude
- 10°N
Countries about the same size
- Bosnia and HerzegovinaAbout the same size
- CroatiaCroatia is 1.1 times the size of Costa Rica
- Dominican RepublicCosta Rica is 1.1 times the size of the Dominican Republic
- SlovakiaCosta Rica is 1.1 times the size of Slovakia
- TogoTogo is 1.1 times the size of Costa Rica
Costa Rica through history
Borders here have moved many times. Step through our maps, from 2000 BCE to today, to see who ruled this land before, and how big their realms really were.
Open the history map →Browse the eras →
Common questions
- How big is Costa Rica?
- Costa Rica covers about 51,500 km² (19,900 sq mi). It is the 41st smallest of the 167 countries and territories on these pages (those over 5,000 km²).
- Do maps show Costa Rica at the right size?
- Yes. Costa Rica lies so close to the equator that a normal web map barely stretches it, while countries far to the north or south are drawn several times too big.
- Is Costa Rica bigger than Croatia?
- No. Croatia is about 1.1 times the size of Costa Rica.
- Is Costa Rica bigger than Bosnia and Herzegovina?
- They are about the same size: within 5% of each other.