Real size
How big is El Salvador really?
20,400 km²
7,880 sq mi · 18th smallest of the 167 here · about the size of Slovenia
Normal web maps show it about the right size
El Salvador covers 20,400 km² (7,880 sq mi), about the size of Slovenia. 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
- 20,400 km²
- Size rank
- 150th of 167
- On a normal web map
- About right
- Latitude
- 14°N
Countries about the same size
- SloveniaAbout the same size
- DjiboutiDjibouti is 1.1 times the size of El Salvador
- IsraelIsrael is 1.1 times the size of El Salvador
- New CaledoniaEl Salvador is 1.1 times the size of New Caledonia
- FijiEl Salvador is 1.1 times the size of Fiji
El Salvador 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 El Salvador?
- El Salvador covers about 20,400 km² (7,880 sq mi). It is the 18th smallest of the 167 countries and territories on these pages (those over 5,000 km²).
- Do maps show El Salvador at the right size?
- Mostly. El Salvador 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 El Salvador bigger than Slovenia?
- They are about the same size: within 5% of each other.
- Is El Salvador bigger than Djibouti?
- No. Djibouti is about 1.1 times the size of El Salvador.