Real size
How big is the United Arab Emirates really?
71,300 km²
27,500 sq mi · 50th smallest of the 167 here · about the size of Sierra Leone
Normal web maps draw it 1.2× too big
The United Arab Emirates covers 71,300 km² (27,500 sq mi), about the size of Sierra Leone. A normal web map draws it about 1.2 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.
United Arab EmiratesIreland
United Arab EmiratesIreland
- Real area
- 71,300 km²
- Size rank
- 118th of 167
- On a normal web map
- 1.2× too big
- Latitude
- 24°N
Countries about the same size
- Sierra LeoneAbout the same size
- GeorgiaAbout the same size
- IrelandAbout the same size
- PanamaAbout the same size
- Sri LankaThe United Arab Emirates is 1.1 times the size of Sri Lanka
The United Arab Emirates 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 the United Arab Emirates?
- The United Arab Emirates covers about 71,300 km² (27,500 sq mi). It is the 50th smallest of the 167 countries and territories on these pages (those over 5,000 km²).
- Why does the United Arab Emirates 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 the United Arab Emirates about 1.2 times too big.
- Is the United Arab Emirates bigger than Ireland?
- They are about the same size: within 5% of each other.
- Is the United Arab Emirates bigger than Sierra Leone?
- They are about the same size: within 5% of each other.