How big is Somalia really?
Somalia covers 638,225 km² (246,420 mi²).
- Area
- 638,225 km² (246,420 mi²)
- Rank by area
- 44 of 219 countries and territories
- Closest in size
- Afghanistan (641,963 km²)
- Population
- 17,100,000
- People per km²
- 27
- Size on a Mercator map
- 1 times the real size
Open in TrueSizeAll countries by area
Somalia vs United States (Contiguous 48)
The larger of the two covers 12.4 times the area of the smaller one, so the smaller one would fit into it 12.4 times.
| Somalia | United States (Contiguous 48) | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 638,225 km² | 7,930,605 km² |
| Population | 17,100,000 | 330,211,806 |
| People per km² | 27 | 42 |
| Difference in area | 7,292,380 km² | |
Somalia vs United Kingdom
The larger of the two covers 2.6 times the area of the smaller one, so the smaller one would fit into it 2.6 times.
| Somalia | United Kingdom | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 638,225 km² | 242,602 km² |
| Population | 17,100,000 | 67,736,802 |
| People per km² | 27 | 279 |
| Difference in area | 395,623 km² | |
Somalia 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. This outline lies near the equator, so these maps draw it almost at its true size (1 times).
Countries closest in size
| Rank | Country | Area | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | Myanmar | 669,471 km² | +4.9% |
| 41 | France | 666,290 km² | +4.4% |
| 42 | South Sudan | 656,077 km² | +2.8% |
| 43 | Afghanistan | 641,963 km² | +0.6% |
| 44 | Somalia | 638,225 km² | – |
| 45 | Central African Republic | 621,309 km² | -2.7% |
Somalia: largest regions
| Region | Area | Share of the country |
|---|---|---|
| Somaliland | 171,151 km² | 27% |
| Jubaland | 112,498 km² | 18% |
| Galmudug | 110,106 km² | 17% |
| South West | 95,659 km² | 15% |
| Puntland | 95,236 km² | 15% |
- First-level regions in TrueSize
- 7
Somalia in history
- First entry on the timeline
- 1815: Somali sultanates and coastal communities
- Border changes on the timeline
- 7
- Largest extent on the timeline
- 942,220 km² (1936–1947)
| Names on the timeline | Years |
|---|---|
| British and Italian Somaliland | 1920–1935 |
| British Somaliland, Italian Somaliland and Trans-Juba | 1925 |
| British Somaliland and Italian East Africa | 1936–1939 |
| Somali territories under Italian occupation | 1940 |
| Somali territories under British administration | 1941–1949 |
| British Somaliland and Trust Territory of Somaliland | 1950–1959 |
| Somali Republic | 1960–1968 |
| Somali Democratic Republic | 1969–1990 |
| Somalia | 1991–2006 |
| Somalia and the Transitional National Government | 2000–2003 |
| Somalia and the Transitional Federal Government | 2004–2011 |
| Federal Republic of Somalia | 2012–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.