10 Surprising Size Comparisons That Really Put the World into Perspective
10. Afghanistan is around the same size as Texas
The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is a sovereign nation located in Asia while Texas is one of the 50 states that make the United States of America. Afghanistan covers an area of 652,894 square kilometres and Texas, the United States’ second largest state is about the same size covering 696,241 sq km. The two are also close in terms of population - Afghanistan has a population of 33 million people while Texas has about 27.9 million inhabitants.
9. Syria is around the same size as Washington State
Syria can be found in western region of Asia. Its capital is Damascus. The State of Washington on the other hand became the 42nd state of the US in 1889. Washington State covers a total area of 184,827 sq km and Syria has an almost similar area with 185,180 sq km. The margin is almost negligible. In terms of population, Syria has about 17 million inhabitants while Washington State is home to approximately 7.2 million people.
8. El Salvador is about the size of New Jersey
El Salvador is a Central America’s smallest republic. New Jersey, on the other hand, is the United State’s fourth smallest state. The total areas covered by these two places are almost similar, with New Jersey occupying about 22,591 sq km and El Salvador covering 21,041 sq km. Both places have another similar feature - they both have a very high population density. El Salvador has a total population of 6.3 million while New Jersey has a population of 9 million people.
7. Brazil and China are almost the same size.
Brazil is South America’s largest nation and is ranked fifth in the world. The Peoples Republic of China on the other hand is an East Asian country ranked second in the world according to the land area covered. Brazil covers about 3.3 million sq metres while China covers a total area of 3.7 million sq metres. The two countries are therefore about the same size. In terms of population, China has the biggest population in the world with about 1.37 billion people while Brazil has around 207 million inhabitants. This difference is more than a billion!
6. You could fit France into Canada at least 15 times
The French Republic is a Western Europe country, and a member of the European Union. Canada is a North American country ranked the second largest nation in the world according to the total area occupied. France, which occupies a total area of 643,801 sq km, is fifteen and a half smaller than Canada which occupies an area of 9,984,670 sq km. The two countries also have very interesting population comparisons as France has a population of 67 million people, which is 32 million more than Canada’s 35 million inhabitants.
5. You could fit India into Russia around 5 times
The Republic of India is found in South Asia, and is seventh in rank of the world’s countries by size. The Russian Federation on the other hand is a Eurasian country ranked first in the world according to the total surface area covered. Russia’s area covers 17,075,200 sq km while India occupies 3,287,263 sq km. You could therefore fit India into Russia 5 times and still have some land area left. In terms of population, India, with a population of 1.2 billion people, has 1 billion more inhabitants than Russia who has a total population of 144,463,451.
4. California and Sweden are almost the same size
The State of California is the third largest state in the United States. The Kingdom of Sweden is a country found in Northern Europe and the third largest member state of the European Union. Sweden occupies a total area of 450,295 sq km and covers approximately 423,970 sq km of land. The two places cover almost the same area and can almost fit perfectly into each other. The population gap is wide however, with Sweden having only 10 million inhabitants while California has a population of 37 million people.
3. Europe and the United States are about the same size.
Europe is one of the seven continents in the world with 50 independent and recognized states. The United States of America is found in North America and is made up of 50 different states. Europe covers a total area of 10,180,000 sq km while America occupies an area of 9,833,520 sq km. The two entities are almost of the same size.
2. Australia is three times larger than Kazakhstan.
The Republic of Kazakhstan is the world’s largest country that has no access to the sea. The Commonwealth of Australia is the ranked sixth in the world in terms of relative size. Kazakhstan, which occupies a total area of 2,724,900 km sq, is three times smaller than Australia which covers 7,692,024 sq km in total area.
1. Within Africa, you could fit China, Japan, UK, India, Italy, Germany, France, Spain, the United Statesm and all of Eastern Europe!
The African Continent is one of the seven continents in the world, and is second largest after Asia. It is also second in terms of population as it is home to 1.2 billion people. The continent covers a total area of 30.3 million sq km which is 6% of the world’s surface area. China’s 9.6 million sq km, Japan’s 377,992sq km, the United Kingdom’s 243,610 sq km, India’s 3.3 million sq km, Italy’s 301,338 sq km, Germany’s 357,168 sq km, Spain’s 505,990 sq km, the United States’ 9.8 million sq km and the entirety of Eastern Europe can all fit into Africa.
