Real size
How big is South Korea really?
97,200 km²
37,500 sq mi · 61st smallest of the 167 here · about the size of Liberia
Normal web maps draw it 1.5× too big
South Korea covers 97,200 km² (37,500 sq mi), about the size of Liberia. A normal web map draws it about 1.5 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.
Part of the land South Korea holds or claims is disputed (1 dispute). Our area follows the borders drawn on today's map. See the disputed territories →
- Real area
- 97,200 km²
- Size rank
- 107th of 167
- On a normal web map
- 1.5× too big
- Latitude
- 36°N
Countries about the same size
- LiberiaAbout the same size
- IcelandAbout the same size
- HungaryAbout the same size
- PortugalSouth Korea is 1.1 times the size of Portugal
- JordanSouth Korea is 1.1 times the size of Jordan
South Korea 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 South Korea?
- South Korea covers about 97,200 km² (37,500 sq mi). It is the 61st smallest of the 167 countries and territories on these pages (those over 5,000 km²).
- Why does South Korea 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 South Korea about 1.5 times too big.
- Is South Korea bigger than Liberia?
- They are about the same size: within 5% of each other.
- Is South Korea bigger than Iceland?
- They are about the same size: within 5% of each other.