Real size
How big is Puerto Rico really?
8,940 km²
3,450 sq mi · 4th smallest of the 167 here · about the size of Lebanon
Normal web maps show it about the right size
Puerto Rico covers 8,940 km² (3,450 sq mi), about the size of Lebanon. 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
- 8,940 km²
- Size rank
- 164th of 167
- On a normal web map
- About right
- Latitude
- 18°N
Countries about the same size
- LebanonLebanon is 1.1 times the size of Puerto Rico
- GambiaThe Gambia is 1.2 times the size of Puerto Rico
- JamaicaJamaica is 1.2 times the size of Puerto Rico
- QatarQatar is 1.2 times the size of Puerto Rico
- VanuatuVanuatu is 1.3 times the size of Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico 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 Puerto Rico?
- Puerto Rico covers about 8,940 km² (3,450 sq mi). It is the 4th smallest of the 167 countries and territories on these pages (those over 5,000 km²).
- Do maps show Puerto Rico at the right size?
- Mostly. Puerto Rico 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 Puerto Rico bigger than Lebanon?
- No. Lebanon is about 1.1 times the size of Puerto Rico.