Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur is 1.02× the size of Belgium

Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (region of France) covers about 31,300 km² (12,100 mi²) and Belgium (Europe) about 30,700 km² (11,800 mi²). Below, both outlines are drawn at one scale and centred on each other.

31,300km²Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur
30,700km²Belgium

50 km

Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur
Belgium

What fits

Belgium is 98% of the size of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur.
Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur is larger by 676 km² (261 mi²), which is 2.2% of the area of Belgium.
Measured in Switzerlands: Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur is about 0.76, Belgium about 0.74.

How they differ

Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur is larger, but Belgium has the larger population: 11.8 million against 5.2 million, 2.29× as many people.
Per square kilometre that is 386 in Belgium against 165 in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur: Belgium is 2.34× as densely populated.
Their centres are about 751 km apart.
On a standard web map Belgium looks larger than Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur: Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur at 44°N is drawn about 1.9× too large and Belgium at 51°N about 2.5×, so the map shows Belgium as 1.26× the size of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, when Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur is 1.02× the size of Belgium.
Together Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur and Belgium cover 62,000 km², close to the size of Latvia (64,600 km², 4.1% bigger).
The gap between them, 676 km², is about the size of Bahrain (688 km²).
At Belgium's density, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur would have 12.1 million people (it has 5.2 million). At Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur's density, Belgium would have 5.1 million (it has 11.8 million).
Belgium's centre is 6.7° of latitude, about 740 km, farther north than Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur's.
Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur is the 10th largest of the 18 regions of France and covers 4.9% of its area; it is the 7th most densely populated of them.
Belgium ranks 141st of 246 countries and territories by area.
Belgium lies about 7° of latitude (roughly 743 km) north of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur.
Shared out evenly, each person in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur would have about 6,060 m² and each person in Belgium about 2,590 m².
Laid side by side, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur and Belgium would cover 62,000 km², 96% of the size of Latvia.
Together they have 17.0 million people, about as many people as Ecuador.
Counted as a country, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur would rank 140th by area and 122nd by population.

Side by side

	Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur	Belgium
Is a	RegionFrance	CountryEurope
Area, measured	31,300 km²12,100 mi²	30,700 km²11,800 mi²
Official area	31,400 km²Wikidata	30,700 km²Wikidata
Rank by area	10th of 18in France	140th of 239worldwide
Population	5.2 millionWikidata, 2022	11.8 millionWikidata, 2025
Rank by population	7th of 18in France	80th of 237worldwide
Density	165 per km²	386 per km²
Capital	Marseille	Brussels
Latitude range	43°N to 45°N	49°N to 51°N

Population: Wikidata 2022 and Wikidata 2025. Official figures: Wikidata (CC0).

Wikidata's official figure of 31,400 km² agrees with our measured area of 31,300 km², to within 2%.
Wikidata's official figure of 30,700 km² agrees with our measured area of 30,700 km², to within 2%.

Similar in size to Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur

Similar in size to Belgium

More comparisons

Sources and method

Outlines: Natural Earth, 1:10m Admin 1 - States, Provinces, public domain for the region; Natural Earth, 1:10m Admin 0 - Countries, public domain. The outline of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur is the departments Natural Earth draws there, joined along their shared borders.
Boundary: De facto, as drawn by Natural Earth. A region is drawn whole, every island included; a country is its main territory.
Area: Measured on the WGS84 ellipsoid from the full-detail outlines, shown rounded.
Drawing: Each outline is projected with an equal-area projection centred on its own centroid, so areas stay true and the two can be laid over each other.
Data built: 2026-11-12

Full method