Real size
How big is Bhutan really?
39,900 km²
15,400 sq mi · 35th smallest of the 167 here · about the size of Switzerland
Normal web maps draw it 1.3× too big
Bhutan covers 39,900 km² (15,400 sq mi), about the size of Switzerland. A normal web map draws it about 1.3 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.
BhutanSwitzerland
BhutanSwitzerland
- Real area
- 39,900 km²
- Size rank
- 133rd of 167
- On a normal web map
- 1.3× too big
- Latitude
- 27°N
Countries about the same size
- SwitzerlandAbout the same size
- DenmarkDenmark is 1.1 times the size of Bhutan
- NetherlandsBhutan is 1.1 times the size of the Netherlands
- EstoniaEstonia is 1.1 times the size of Bhutan
- MoldovaBhutan is 1.2 times the size of Moldova
Bhutan 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 Bhutan?
- Bhutan covers about 39,900 km² (15,400 sq mi). It is the 35th smallest of the 167 countries and territories on these pages (those over 5,000 km²).
- Why does Bhutan 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 Bhutan about 1.3 times too big.
- Is Bhutan bigger than Switzerland?
- They are about the same size: within 5% of each other.