Learn Swedish: Sveriges yta är lika stor som Tysklands. - Sweden's area is as large as Germany's.

To say two things are equal, Swedish uses the pattern lika + adjective + som. In this sentence, lika stor som translates directly to "as large as" or "equally large as". You will use this lika ... som structure whenever you are comparing two equal things.

Why is the adjective stor used instead of stort or stora?

Even in comparisons, the adjective must match the noun it describes. Here, the adjective describes yta (area or surface). Because yta is an en-word (en yta), the adjective takes its basic form stor. If we were comparing an ett-word, like ett hus (a house), we would say lika stort som.

Why is there no apostrophe in Sveriges and Tysklands?

In Swedish, possession is shown by simply adding an -s to the end of the noun, without an apostrophe. So "Sweden's" becomes Sveriges and "Germany's" becomes Tysklands.

Does the word yta only refer to geographical area?

No, while it means "area" in this context, en yta also translates to "a surface". You can use it to talk about the surface of a table, the surface of a lake, or the square footage of an apartment.