Real size
How big is Chile really?
737,000 km²
285,000 sq mi · 39th largest of the 167 here · about the size of Zambia
Normal web maps draw it 1.7× too big
Chile covers 737,000 km² (285,000 sq mi), about the size of Zambia. A normal web map draws it about 1.7 times too big, because it lies far from the equator (around 36°S), and those maps stretch land more the closer it gets to the South Pole.
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
- 737,000 km²
- Size rank
- 39th of 167
- On a normal web map
- 1.7× too big
- Latitude
- 36°S
Countries about the same size
- ZambiaAbout the same size
- TürkiyeTürkiye is 1.1 times the size of Chile
- MozambiqueMozambique is 1.1 times the size of Chile
- MyanmarChile is 1.1 times the size of Myanmar
- NamibiaNamibia is 1.1 times the size of Chile
Chile 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 Chile?
- Chile covers about 737,000 km² (285,000 sq mi). It is the 39th largest of the 167 countries and territories on these pages (those over 5,000 km²).
- Why does Chile 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 Chile about 1.7 times too big.
- Is Chile bigger than Zambia?
- They are about the same size: within 5% of each other.