Real size
How big is Timor-Leste really?
15,000 km²
5,800 sq mi · 12th smallest of the 167 here · about the size of Montenegro
Normal web maps show it about the right size
Timor-Leste covers 15,000 km² (5,800 sq mi), about the size of Montenegro. 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
- 15,000 km²
- Size rank
- 156th of 167
- On a normal web map
- About right
- Latitude
- 9°S
Countries about the same size
- MontenegroTimor-Leste is 1.1 times the size of Montenegro
- EswatiniEswatini is 1.1 times the size of Timor-Leste
- KuwaitKuwait is 1.2 times the size of Timor-Leste
- BahamasTimor-Leste is 1.2 times the size of the Bahamas
- FijiFiji is 1.2 times the size of Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste 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 Timor-Leste?
- Timor-Leste covers about 15,000 km² (5,800 sq mi). It is the 12th smallest of the 167 countries and territories on these pages (those over 5,000 km²).
- Do maps show Timor-Leste at the right size?
- Yes. Timor-Leste lies so close to the equator that a normal web map barely stretches it, while countries far to the north or south are drawn several times too big.
- Is Timor-Leste bigger than Montenegro?
- Yes. Timor-Leste is about 1.1 times the size of Montenegro.
- Is Timor-Leste bigger than Eswatini?
- No. Eswatini is about 1.1 times the size of Timor-Leste.