Real size
How big is Guinea-Bissau really?
32,000 km²
12,400 sq mi · 32nd smallest of the 167 here · about the size of Moldova
Normal web maps show it about the right size
Guinea-Bissau covers 32,000 km² (12,400 sq mi), about the size of Moldova. 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
- 32,000 km²
- Size rank
- 136th of 167
- On a normal web map
- About right
- Latitude
- 12°N
Countries about the same size
- MoldovaAbout the same size
- BelgiumAbout the same size
- LesothoGuinea-Bissau is 1.1 times the size of Lesotho
- ArmeniaGuinea-Bissau is 1.1 times the size of Armenia
- AlbaniaGuinea-Bissau is 1.1 times the size of Albania
Guinea-Bissau 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 Guinea-Bissau?
- Guinea-Bissau covers about 32,000 km² (12,400 sq mi). It is the 32nd smallest of the 167 countries and territories on these pages (those over 5,000 km²).
- Do maps show Guinea-Bissau at the right size?
- Yes. Guinea-Bissau lies so close to the equator that a normal web map barely stretches it, while countries far to the north or south are drawn several times too big.
- Is Guinea-Bissau bigger than Moldova?
- They are about the same size: within 5% of each other.