Real size
How big is Vanuatu really?
11,300 km²
4,350 sq mi · 9th smallest of the 167 here · about the size of Qatar
Normal web maps show it about the right size
Vanuatu covers 11,300 km² (4,350 sq mi), about the size of Qatar. 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
- 11,300 km²
- Size rank
- 159th of 167
- On a normal web map
- About right
- Latitude
- 16°S
Countries about the same size
- QatarAbout the same size
- JamaicaAbout the same size
- GambiaVanuatu is 1.1 times the size of the Gambia
- BahamasThe Bahamas is 1.1 times the size of Vanuatu
- LebanonVanuatu is 1.1 times the size of Lebanon
Vanuatu 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 Vanuatu?
- Vanuatu covers about 11,300 km² (4,350 sq mi). It is the 9th smallest of the 167 countries and territories on these pages (those over 5,000 km²).
- Do maps show Vanuatu at the right size?
- Mostly. Vanuatu 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 Vanuatu bigger than Qatar?
- They are about the same size: within 5% of each other.
- Is Vanuatu bigger than the Bahamas?
- No. The Bahamas is about 1.1 times the size of Vanuatu.