The True Size of Argentina
Compare Argentina with other countries and regions on an interactive map to see their actual relative sizes.
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How big is Argentina?
Argentina covers about 2,780,400 km² (1,073,518 sq mi). On a Mercator map its apparent size depends entirely on latitude — drag the outline above onto another part of the world to see how it really compares.
Argentina on a Mercator map
The centre of this country lies at 35° S, where the Mercator projection stretches area by about 1.5×. Its outline takes up as much room on the map as 4,227,461 km² would at the equator.
Its real area is 2,780,400 km². The country closest to that size: Kazakhstan.
Argentina compared with other countries
Total areas including inland water; ratios are rounded.
| Country | Area (km²) | Compared with Argentina |
|---|---|---|
 Russia | 17,098,242 | 6.1× larger |
 Canada | 9,984,670 | 3.6× larger |
 United States | 9,833,517 | 3.5× larger |
 China | 9,596,960 | 3.5× larger |
 Brazil | 8,515,770 | 3.1× larger |
 Australia | 7,741,220 | 2.8× larger |
 India | 3,287,263 | 1.2× larger |
 Greenland | 2,166,086 | 1.3× smaller |
 Mexico | 1,964,375 | 1.4× smaller |
 Indonesia | 1,904,569 | 1.5× smaller |
 Pakistan | 796,095 | 3.5× smaller |
 France | 643,801 | 4.3× smaller |
 Ukraine | 603,550 | 4.6× smaller |
 Japan | 377,915 | 7.4× smaller |
 Poland | 312,685 | 8.9× smaller |
 New Zealand | 268,838 | 10× smaller |
 United Kingdom | 243,610 | 11× smaller |
 Netherlands | 41,543 | 67× smaller |
Countries closest in size to Argentina
Measured on the globe from the same outlines the map draws, so the figures are approximate. Drag any of them next to Argentina to see the difference for yourself.
How big Argentina looks at other latitudes
Drag the outline so its centre sits on each of these latitudes and the map draws it this many times larger than its real area. Mercator stretches area roughly by the square of the scale, so the growth is steep.
| Where it actually sits (35° S) | 1.5× its real size |
| At the equator (Indonesia, Kenya, Ecuador) | its real size |
| At 30° (Egypt, northern Mexico, central Argentina) | 1.4× its real size |
| At 45° (northern Italy, Minnesota, New Zealand) | 2.1× its real size |
| At 60° (Oslo, Helsinki, southern Alaska) | 4.6× its real size |
| At 72° (central Greenland) | 16.9× its real size |
Questions about the size of Argentina
How big is Argentina?+
Argentina has a total area of about 2,780,400 km² (1,073,518 sq mi), including inland water. The country closest to it in size is Kazakhstan.
Is Argentina bigger than India?+
Not quite. India covers about 3,155,816 km², roughly 13.4% more than Argentina. Put both on the map and the difference stays the same wherever you drag them, because every outline is drawn at its true size.
Why does Argentina look bigger on a map than it really is?+
Because the Mercator projection stretches area the further you get from the equator. The centre of Argentina is at 35° S, where the map draws it about 1.5× too large — as much room as 4,227,461 km² would take at the equator. Drag the outline toward the equator and it shrinks to its honest size.