Real size
How big is Brazil really?
8.5 million km²
3.28 million sq mi · 5th largest of the 167 here · about the size of China
Normal web maps show it about the right size
Brazil covers 8.5 million km² (3.28 million sq mi), about the size of China. 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
- 8.5 million km²
- Size rank
- 5th of 167
- On a normal web map
- About right
- Latitude
- 11°S
Countries about the same size
- ChinaChina is 1.1 times the size of Brazil
- AustraliaBrazil is 1.1 times the size of Australia
- United StatesThe United States is 1.1 times the size of Brazil
- CanadaCanada is 1.2 times the size of Brazil
- RussiaRussia is 2 times the size of Brazil
Brazil 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 Brazil?
- Brazil covers about 8.5 million km² (3.28 million sq mi). It is the 5th largest of the 167 countries and territories on these pages (those over 5,000 km²).
- Do maps show Brazil at the right size?
- Mostly. Brazil 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 Brazil bigger than the United States?
- No. The United States is about 1.1 times the size of Brazil.
- Is Brazil bigger than China?
- No. China is about 1.1 times the size of Brazil.