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Costa Rica's area vs Russia's: size comparison by land type

Updated on by Georank team

Russia is 334 times bigger by total area compared to Costa Rica: 6,592,849 sq mi vs 19,761 sq mi. Without inland water, the land area of Russia is 6,323,145 sq mi vs 19,714 sq mi for Costa Rica — a 321 times difference in territory size.

  • Costa Rica ranks 126/197 by total surface area vs 1/197 for Russia.
  • Costa Rica occupies 0.03% of the land mass of all countries, compared with 11% for Russia.
  • 33.1% of Costa Rica's area is agricultural land vs 13.2% in Russia.
  • Costa Rica has 0.04% of the world's agricultural land area — Russia has 4.52%.
  • 60.4% of Costa Rica is covered by forests, compared to 49.8% in Russia.
  • 0.08% of the world's forests are in Costa Rica, and 20.2% are in Russia.

True size map comparison: Costa Rica vs Russia

See how Costa Rica and Russia compare in true size on the map. Drag the outlines to different latitudes to see how the Mercator projection affects their apparent size.

Total size and land area comparison

Costa Rica Russia
Total area 19,761
sq mi
6,592,849
sq mi
Size difference ratio 1 334
Total area rank 126/197 1/197
Share of all countries' surface area 0.01% 3.35%
Land area 19,714
sq mi
6,323,145
sq mi
Land area difference ratio 1 321
Land area rank 126/197 1/197
Share of all countries' land area 0.03% 11%
Population 5,129,910 143,533,851
Population density 262.6 ppl/mi² 22.4 ppl/mi²

Surface area by type

Costa Rica Russia
Forest area 11,907
sq mi
3,147,937
sq mi
Forest area as share of land 60.4% 49.8%
Forest area rank 90/196 1/196
World's forests share 0.08% 20.2%
Agricultural land area 6,534
sq mi
832,826
sq mi
Agricultural land share 33.1% 13.2%
Agricultural land area rank 125/194 5/194
Share of global agricultural land 0.04% 4.52%
Arable land 645
sq mi
469,689
sq mi
Arable land share 3.27% 7.43%
Arable land area rank 142/191 3/191
Permanent cropland 1,456
sq mi
7,722
sq mi
Permanent cropland share 7.39% 0.12%
Permanent cropland area rank 62/192 23/192
Water area 46.3
sq mi
269,704
sq mi
Water as share of total area 0.23% 4.09%
Water area rank 138/197 2/197
Roads length 3,129
mi
981,326
mi
Land borders length 411
mi
13,923
mi
Coastline length 802
mi
23,396
mi
Share of marine protected waters 28.4% 2.2%

Costa Rica vs Russia size on the map

Data sources: World Bank | Agriculture & Rural Development (2026, retrieved 2026-04-06).

GeoRank.org/size/costa-rica/russia | CC BY

The map above outlines the borders of Costa Rica and Russia but is not accurate for size comparison because it's a 2d map with Mercator projection that distorts territories near the poles. The farther a country is from the equator, the more magnified it appears. More about country size projections.

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Data sources:

  1. World Bank | Agriculture & Rural Development (2023–2026, retrieved 2026-04-06)
  2. Wikidata (2026, retrieved 2026-02-08)
  3. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) (2025, retrieved 2026-02-20)
  4. United Nations | World Population Prospects (2026, retrieved 2026-03-10)

Total agricultural land encompasses all areas used for agriculture: territories under permanent and temporary crops and pastures. It includes land under flowering shrubs, fruit and nut trees, and vineyards, but excludes sites utilized for timber production.

Arable land encompasses fields utilized for temporary crop production, pastures, market or kitchen gardens, and temporarily fallowed land. Land abandoned due to shifting cultivation practices is not included.

Permanent cropland refers to farmland for the long-term cultivation of crops, such as coffee, cocoa, and rubber, which do not require replanting after each harvest. This category encompasses land with permanent crops like flowering shrubs, fruit and nut trees, and vines, but does not include land under trees for timber production.

Inland areas under water, such as large rivers, lakes, and some coastal waterways.

Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) — you’re free to copy, share, remix, adapt, and use even commercially as long as you give appropriate credit and clearly indicate if you made changes. Other sources may be subject to different license terms.