Real size
How big is Norway really?
384,000 km²
148,000 sq mi · 62nd largest of the 167 here · about the size of Zimbabwe
Normal web maps draw it 9× too big
Norway covers 384,000 km² (148,000 sq mi), about the size of Zimbabwe. A normal web map draws it about 9 times too big, because it lies far from the equator (around 66°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
- 384,000 km²
- Size rank
- 62nd of 167
- On a normal web map
- 9× too big
- Latitude
- 66°N
Countries about the same size
- ZimbabweAbout the same size
- JapanAbout the same size
- ParaguayAbout the same size
- GermanyNorway is 1.1 times the size of Germany
- CongoNorway is 1.1 times the size of Congo
Norway 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 Norway?
- Norway covers about 384,000 km² (148,000 sq mi). It is the 62nd largest of the 167 countries and territories on these pages (those over 5,000 km²).
- Why does Norway 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 Norway about 9 times too big.
- Is Norway bigger than Zimbabwe?
- They are about the same size: within 5% of each other.