Real size
How big is Iraq really?
437,000 km²
169,000 sq mi · 59th largest of the 167 here · about the size of Sweden
Normal web maps draw it 1.4× too big
Iraq covers 437,000 km² (169,000 sq mi), about the size of Sweden. A normal web map draws it about 1.4 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.
IraqSweden
IraqSweden
- Real area
- 437,000 km²
- Size rank
- 59th of 167
- On a normal web map
- 1.4× too big
- Latitude
- 33°N
Countries about the same size
- SwedenAbout the same size
- UzbekistanAbout the same size
- YemenAbout the same size
- Papua New GuineaPapua New Guinea is 1.1 times the size of Iraq
- CameroonCameroon is 1.1 times the size of Iraq
Iraq 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 Iraq?
- Iraq covers about 437,000 km² (169,000 sq mi). It is the 59th largest of the 167 countries and territories on these pages (those over 5,000 km²).
- Why does Iraq 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 Iraq about 1.4 times too big.
- Is Iraq bigger than Sweden?
- They are about the same size: within 5% of each other.