Real size
How big is Italy really?
300,000 km²
116,000 sq mi · 72nd largest of the 167 here · about the size of the Philippines
Normal web maps draw it 1.9× too big
Italy covers 300,000 km² (116,000 sq mi), about the size of the Philippines. A normal web map draws it about 1.9 times too big, because it lies far from the equator (around 43°N), and those maps stretch land more the closer it gets to the North 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
- 300,000 km²
- Size rank
- 72nd of 167
- On a normal web map
- 1.9× too big
- Latitude
- 43°N
Countries about the same size
- PhilippinesAbout the same size
- OmanAbout the same size
- PolandAbout the same size
- Côte d'IvoireCôte d'Ivoire is 1.1 times the size of Italy
- MalaysiaMalaysia is 1.1 times the size of Italy
Italy 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 Italy?
- Italy covers about 300,000 km² (116,000 sq mi). It is the 72nd largest of the 167 countries and territories on these pages (those over 5,000 km²).
- Why does Italy 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 Italy about 1.9 times too big.
- Is Italy bigger than the Philippines?
- They are about the same size: within 5% of each other.
- Is Italy bigger than Oman?
- They are about the same size: within 5% of each other.