Real size
How big is Lesotho really?
30,000 km²
11,600 sq mi · 30th smallest of the 167 here · about the size of Armenia
Normal web maps draw it 1.3× too big
Lesotho covers 30,000 km² (11,600 sq mi), about the size of Armenia. A normal web map draws it about 1.3 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.
LesothoBelgium
LesothoBelgium
- Real area
- 30,000 km²
- Size rank
- 138th of 167
- On a normal web map
- 1.3× too big
- Latitude
- 30°S
Countries about the same size
- ArmeniaAbout the same size
- BelgiumAbout the same size
- AlbaniaLesotho is 1.1 times the size of Albania
- Guinea-BissauGuinea-Bissau is 1.1 times the size of Lesotho
- BurundiLesotho is 1.1 times the size of Burundi
Lesotho 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 Lesotho?
- Lesotho covers about 30,000 km² (11,600 sq mi). It is the 30th smallest of the 167 countries and territories on these pages (those over 5,000 km²).
- Why does Lesotho 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 Lesotho about 1.3 times too big.
- Is Lesotho bigger than Belgium?
- They are about the same size: within 5% of each other.
- Is Lesotho bigger than Armenia?
- They are about the same size: within 5% of each other.