The True Size of Australia
Compare Australia with other countries and regions on an interactive map to see their actual relative sizes.
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How big is Australia?
Australia covers about 7,741,220 km² (2,988,901 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.
Australia on a Mercator map
The centre of this country lies at 26° S, where the Mercator projection stretches area by about 1.2×. Its outline takes up as much room on the map as 9,559,004 km² would at the equator.
Its real area is 7,741,220 km². The country closest to that size: Brazil.
Australia compared with other countries
Total areas including inland water; ratios are rounded.
| Country | Area (km²) | Compared with Australia |
|---|---|---|
 Russia | 17,098,242 | 2.2× larger |
 Canada | 9,984,670 | 1.3× larger |
 United States | 9,833,517 | 1.3× larger |
 China | 9,596,960 | 1.2× larger |
 Brazil | 8,515,770 | 1.1× larger |
 India | 3,287,263 | 2.4× smaller |
 Argentina | 2,780,400 | 2.8× smaller |
 Greenland | 2,166,086 | 3.6× smaller |
 Mexico | 1,964,375 | 3.9× smaller |
 Indonesia | 1,904,569 | 4.1× smaller |
 Pakistan | 796,095 | 9.7× smaller |
 France | 643,801 | 12× smaller |
 Ukraine | 603,550 | 13× smaller |
 Japan | 377,915 | 20× smaller |
 Poland | 312,685 | 25× smaller |
 New Zealand | 268,838 | 29× smaller |
 United Kingdom | 243,610 | 32× smaller |
 Netherlands | 41,543 | 186× smaller |
Countries closest in size to Australia
Measured on the globe from the same outlines the map draws, so the figures are approximate. Drag any of them next to Australia to see the difference for yourself.
Slightly larger
- Brazil8,499,424 km²10.3% larger
- China9,371,251 km²21.6% larger
- United States9,439,451 km²22.5% larger
How big Australia 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 (26° S) | 1.2× its real size |
| At the equator (Indonesia, Kenya, Ecuador) | its real size |
| At 30° (Egypt, northern Mexico, central Argentina) | 1.3× its real size |
| At 45° (northern Italy, Minnesota, New Zealand) | 2× its real size |
| At 60° (Oslo, Helsinki, southern Alaska) | 4.2× its real size |
| At 72° (central Greenland) | 13× its real size |
Questions about the size of Australia
How big is Australia?+
Australia has a total area of about 7,741,220 km² (2,988,901 sq mi), including inland water. The country closest to it in size is Brazil.
Is Australia bigger than Brazil?+
Not quite. Brazil covers about 8,499,424 km², roughly 10.3% more than Australia. 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 Australia 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 Australia is at 26° S, where the map draws it about 1.2× too large — as much room as 9,559,004 km² would take at the equator. Drag the outline toward the equator and it shrinks to its honest size.