Real size
How big is Libya really?
1.63 million km²
628,000 sq mi · 17th largest of the 167 here · about the size of Iran
Normal web maps draw it 1.3× too big
Libya covers 1.63 million km² (628,000 sq mi), about the size of Iran. 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.
LibyaMongolia
LibyaMongolia
- Real area
- 1.63 million km²
- Size rank
- 17th of 167
- On a normal web map
- 1.3× too big
- Latitude
- 27°N
Countries about the same size
- IranAbout the same size
- MongoliaAbout the same size
- SudanSudan is 1.1 times the size of Libya
- IndonesiaIndonesia is 1.2 times the size of Libya
- Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia is 1.2 times the size of Libya
Libya 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 Libya?
- Libya covers about 1.63 million km² (628,000 sq mi). It is the 17th largest of the 167 countries and territories on these pages (those over 5,000 km²).
- Why does Libya 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 Libya about 1.3 times too big.
- Is Libya bigger than Mongolia?
- They are about the same size: within 5% of each other.
- Is Libya bigger than Iran?
- They are about the same size: within 5% of each other.
- Is Libya bigger than Sudan?
- No. Sudan is about 1.1 times the size of Libya.