Real size
How big is Madagascar really?
595,000 km²
230,000 sq mi · 46th largest of the 167 here · about the size of Kenya
Normal web maps show it about the right size
Madagascar covers 595,000 km² (230,000 sq mi), about the size of Kenya. It sits close to the equator, where normal web maps barely stretch land, so they show it at about its real size, and make countries farther from the equator look bigger than it.
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
- 595,000 km²
- Size rank
- 46th of 167
- On a normal web map
- About right
- Latitude
- 19°S
Countries about the same size
- KenyaAbout the same size
- MoroccoAbout the same size
- BotswanaAbout the same size
- UkraineAbout the same size
- Central African RepublicAbout the same size
Madagascar 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 Madagascar?
- Madagascar covers about 595,000 km² (230,000 sq mi). It is the 46th largest of the 167 countries and territories on these pages (those over 5,000 km²).
- Do maps show Madagascar at the right size?
- Mostly. Madagascar lies close enough to the equator that a normal web map draws it only about 1.1 times too big, while countries far to the north or south are drawn several times too big.
- Is Madagascar bigger than Ukraine?
- They are about the same size: within 5% of each other.
- Is Madagascar bigger than Kenya?
- They are about the same size: within 5% of each other.