The True Size of Brazil
Compare Brazil with other countries and regions on an interactive map to see their actual relative sizes.
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How big is Brazil?
Brazil covers about 8,515,770 km² (3,287,956 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.
Brazil on a Mercator map
The centre of this country lies at 11° S, almost on the equator, where Mercator distorts least of all. The map shows it at very nearly its real size, which almost no country further north or south can claim.
Its real area is 8,515,770 km². The country closest to that size: China.
Brazil compared with other countries
Total areas including inland water; ratios are rounded.
| Country | Area (km²) | Compared with Brazil |
|---|---|---|
 Russia | 17,098,242 | 2× larger |
 Canada | 9,984,670 | 1.2× larger |
 United States | 9,833,517 | 1.2× larger |
 China | 9,596,960 | 1.1× larger |
 Australia | 7,741,220 | 1.1× smaller |
 India | 3,287,263 | 2.6× smaller |
 Argentina | 2,780,400 | 3.1× smaller |
 Greenland | 2,166,086 | 3.9× smaller |
 Mexico | 1,964,375 | 4.3× smaller |
 Indonesia | 1,904,569 | 4.5× smaller |
 Pakistan | 796,095 | 11× smaller |
 France | 643,801 | 13× smaller |
 Ukraine | 603,550 | 14× smaller |
 Japan | 377,915 | 23× smaller |
 Poland | 312,685 | 27× smaller |
 New Zealand | 268,838 | 32× smaller |
 United Kingdom | 243,610 | 35× smaller |
 Netherlands | 41,543 | 205× smaller |
Countries closest in size to Brazil
Measured on the globe from the same outlines the map draws, so the figures are approximate. Drag any of them next to Brazil to see the difference for yourself.
How big Brazil 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 (11° S) | 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) | 4.3× its real size |
| At 72° (central Greenland) | 13.1× its real size |
Questions about the size of Brazil
How big is Brazil?+
Brazil has a total area of about 8,515,770 km² (3,287,956 sq mi), including inland water. The country closest to it in size is China.
Is Brazil bigger than China?+
Not quite. China covers about 9,371,251 km², roughly 10.3% more than Brazil. Put both on the map and the difference stays the same wherever you drag them, because every outline is drawn at its true size.
Does the map show Brazil at its real size?+
Very nearly. The centre of Brazil is at 11° S, close to the equator, where Mercator distorts least. Drag the outline north or south and it grows, which is how far-off countries end up looking bigger than Brazil when they are not.