Real size
How big is Afghanistan really?
642,000 km²
248,000 sq mi · 41st largest of the 167 here · about the size of France
Normal web maps draw it 1.5× too big
Afghanistan covers 642,000 km² (248,000 sq mi), about the size of France. A normal web map draws it about 1.5 times too big: not much, but enough to make it look bigger than countries nearer the equator.
Measured from our map outlines, so official figures can differ by a few percent. Ranks count the 167 countries and territories on these pages: those over 5,000 km², not counting disputed territories.
AfghanistanUkraine
AfghanistanUkraine
- Real area
- 642,000 km²
- Size rank
- 41st of 167
- On a normal web map
- 1.5× too big
- Latitude
- 34°N
Countries about the same size
- FranceAbout the same size
- South SudanAbout the same size
- MyanmarAbout the same size
- Central African RepublicAbout the same size
- KenyaAfghanistan is 1.1 times the size of Kenya
Afghanistan through history
Borders here have moved many times. Step through our maps, from 2000 BCE to today, to see who ruled this land before, and how big their realms really were.
Open the history map →Browse the eras →
Common questions
- How big is Afghanistan?
- Afghanistan covers about 642,000 km² (248,000 sq mi). It is the 41st largest of the 167 countries and territories on these pages (those over 5,000 km²).
- Why does Afghanistan look so big on maps?
- Most web maps use the Mercator projection, which keeps shapes right but stretches area more and more toward the poles. Averaged over the whole country, it draws Afghanistan about 1.5 times too big.
- Is Afghanistan bigger than Ukraine?
- Yes. Afghanistan is about 1.1 times the size of Ukraine.
- Is Afghanistan bigger than France?
- They are about the same size: within 5% of each other.
- Is Afghanistan bigger than Myanmar?
- They are about the same size: within 5% of each other.