Real size
How big is Kazakhstan really?
2.71 million km²
1.05 million sq mi · 9th largest of the 167 here · about the size of Argentina
Normal web maps draw it 2.3× too big
Kazakhstan covers 2.71 million km² (1.05 million sq mi), about the size of Argentina. A normal web map draws it about 2.3 times too big, because it lies far from the equator (around 48°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
- 2.71 million km²
- Size rank
- 9th of 167
- On a normal web map
- 2.3× too big
- Latitude
- 48°N
Countries about the same size
- ArgentinaAbout the same size
- DR CongoKazakhstan is 1.2 times the size of DR Congo
- IndiaIndia is 1.2 times the size of Kazakhstan
- AlgeriaKazakhstan is 1.2 times the size of Algeria
- GreenlandKazakhstan is 1.3 times the size of Greenland
Kazakhstan 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 Kazakhstan?
- Kazakhstan covers about 2.71 million km² (1.05 million sq mi). It is the 9th largest of the 167 countries and territories on these pages (those over 5,000 km²).
- Why does Kazakhstan 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 Kazakhstan about 2.3 times too big.
- Is Kazakhstan bigger than DR Congo?
- Yes. Kazakhstan is about 1.2 times the size of DR Congo.
- Is Kazakhstan bigger than Argentina?
- They are about the same size: within 5% of each other.