Real size
How big is Botswana really?
581,000 km²
224,000 sq mi · 48th largest of the 167 here · about the size of Morocco
Normal web maps draw it 1.2× too big
Botswana covers 581,000 km² (224,000 sq mi), about the size of Morocco. A normal web map draws it about 1.2 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.
BotswanaUkraine
BotswanaUkraine
- Real area
- 581,000 km²
- Size rank
- 48th of 167
- On a normal web map
- 1.2× too big
- Latitude
- 22°S
Countries about the same size
- MoroccoAbout the same size
- UkraineAbout the same size
- MadagascarAbout the same size
- KenyaAbout the same size
- Central African RepublicThe Central African Republic is 1.1 times the size of Botswana
Botswana 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 Botswana?
- Botswana covers about 581,000 km² (224,000 sq mi). It is the 48th largest of the 167 countries and territories on these pages (those over 5,000 km²).
- Why does Botswana 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 Botswana about 1.2 times too big.
- Is Botswana bigger than Ukraine?
- They are about the same size: within 5% of each other.
- Is Botswana bigger than Morocco?
- They are about the same size: within 5% of each other.