Real size
How big is Bolivia really?
1.09 million km²
421,000 sq mi · 28th largest of the 167 here · about the size of Ethiopia
Normal web maps show it about the right size
Bolivia covers 1.09 million km² (421,000 sq mi), about the size of Ethiopia. It sits close to the equator, where normal web maps barely stretch land, so they show it at about its real size, and make countries farther from the equator look bigger than it.
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.
- Real area
- 1.09 million km²
- Size rank
- 28th of 167
- On a normal web map
- About right
- Latitude
- 17°S
Countries about the same size
- EthiopiaAbout the same size
- ColombiaAbout the same size
- MauritaniaBolivia is 1.1 times the size of Mauritania
- EgyptBolivia is 1.1 times the size of Egypt
- NigerNiger is 1.1 times the size of Bolivia
Bolivia 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 Bolivia?
- Bolivia covers about 1.09 million km² (421,000 sq mi). It is the 28th largest of the 167 countries and territories on these pages (those over 5,000 km²).
- Do maps show Bolivia at the right size?
- Mostly. Bolivia lies close enough to the equator that a normal web map draws it only about 1.1 times too big, while countries far to the north or south are drawn several times too big.
- Is Bolivia bigger than Ethiopia?
- They are about the same size: within 5% of each other.