How big is China really?
China covers 9,389,687 km² (3,625,377 mi²).
- Area
- 9,389,687 km² (3,625,377 mi²)
- Rank by area
- 4 of 219 countries and territories
- Closest in size
- United States (9,465,422 km²)
- Population
- 1,412,000,000
- People per km²
- 150
- Size on a Mercator map
- 1.6 times the real size
Open in TrueSizeAll countries by area
China vs United States (Contiguous 48)
The larger of the two covers 1.2 times the area of the smaller one, so the smaller one would fit into it 1.2 times.
| China | United States (Contiguous 48) | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 9,389,687 km² | 7,930,605 km² |
| Population | 1,412,000,000 | 330,211,806 |
| People per km² | 150 | 42 |
| Difference in area | 1,459,082 km² (18%) | |
China vs United Kingdom
The larger of the two covers 39 times the area of the smaller one, so the smaller one would fit into it 39 times.
| China | United Kingdom | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 9,389,687 km² | 242,602 km² |
| Population | 1,412,000,000 | 67,736,802 |
| People per km² | 150 | 279 |
| Difference in area | 9,147,085 km² | |
China on a Mercator map
Most online maps and many printed world maps use the Mercator projection, which enlarges areas more and more towards the poles. On these maps this outline is drawn 1.6 times larger than its true size.
The outline reaches from 18.2° N to 53.6° N; at these latitudes Mercator enlarges areas between 1.1 and 2.8 times.
- Area as drawn on a Mercator map
- 14,946,139 km²
- A country that really is about that size
- Russia
Countries closest in size
| Rank | Country | Area | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Russia | 17,098,246 km² | +82% |
| 2 | Canada | 9,904,342 km² | +5.5% |
| 3 | United States | 9,465,422 km² | +0.8% |
| 4 | China | 9,389,687 km² | – |
| 5 | Brazil | 8,539,438 km² | -9.1% |
| 6 | Australia | 7,700,199 km² | -18% |
China: largest regions
| Region | Area | Share of the country |
|---|---|---|
| Xinjiang | 1,629,259 km² | 17% |
| Tibet | 1,190,473 km² | 13% |
| Inner Mongolia | 1,124,912 km² | 12% |
| Qinghai | 637,675 km² | 6.8% |
| Sichuan | 486,577 km² | 5.2% |
- First-level regions in TrueSize
- 33
China in history
- First entry on the timeline
- 1600 BC: Shang dynasty
- Border changes on the timeline
- 99
- Largest extent on the timeline
- 14,081,152 km² (1271–1289)
| Names on the timeline | Years |
|---|---|
| Wu Zhou dynasty | 690–704 |
| Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms | 907–959 |
| Northern Song dynasty | 960–1126 |
| Southern Song dynasty | 1127–1270 |
| Yuan dynasty and Southern Song | 1271–1278 |
| Yuan dynasty | 1279–1367 |
| Ming dynasty | 1368–1643 |
| Qing dynasty | 1644–1911 |
| Republic of China | 1912–1948 |
| Empire of China | 1915–1916 |
| Republic of China and Manchukuo | 1932–1936 |
| People's Republic of China | 1949–Today |
More comparisons
Areas are calculated from the outlines TrueSize draws on the map, so they can differ slightly from official figures. Population figures are estimates.