How big is Greenland really?
Greenland is the largest island in the world at 2,166,086 km². About 80 percent of it is covered by an ice sheet, and only around 56,830 people live there (UN estimate for 2025). It is an autonomous territory of Denmark, not an independent country.
Those numbers put it in the same group as Saudi Arabia, DR Congo and Algeria. Here is how it compares with the countries people most often ask about.
| Place | Total area | Compared with Greenland |
|---|---|---|
| Africa (54 countries) | 30,030,427 km² | 13.9× Greenland |
| Canada | 9,984,670 km² | 4.6× Greenland |
| United States | 9,833,520 km² | 4.5× Greenland |
| Australia | 7,692,024 km² | 3.6× Greenland |
| India | 3,287,263 km² | 1.5× Greenland |
| Algeria | 2,381,741 km² | 1.10× Greenland |
| DR Congo | 2,344,858 km² | 1.08× Greenland |
| Saudi Arabia | 2,149,690 km² | 0.99× Greenland |
| Mexico | 1,964,375 km² | 0.91× Greenland |
Why does Greenland look so big on Google Maps?
Google Maps uses the Web Mercator projection, and Mercator inflates area the further you go from the equator. The stretch grows with latitude: at 45° north a country appears twice its true area, at 60° four times, and at 72° north, the middle of Greenland, about 10 times.
Africa sits on the equator, so Mercator barely touches it. The result is a map where a 2.17 million km² island and a 30.0 million km² continent look about the same. The picture below shows the two side by side, first the way a Mercator map draws them and then at their real size.
Mercator was designed in 1569 for sailors, because a straight line on it is a constant compass bearing. Google kept it because it keeps north up and street corners square at every zoom level. It was never meant for comparing the size of countries. Read why Google Maps shows country sizes wrong for the full explanation.
Greenland vs Africa
Africa is 13.9 times larger than Greenland by area, and about 27,000 times larger by population (1.55 billion people against 56,830). Two African countries, Algeria and DR Congo, are each bigger than Greenland on their own, and Sudan is close behind at 1.86 million km².
The comparison became famous through "The True Size Of" map and a 2010 graphic by Kai Krause called "The True Size of Africa". Both used outlines. We think boxes make the ratio easier to read, because you can compare any two shapes at a glance without rotating them in your head.
Is Greenland bigger than Australia?
No. Australia is 7,692,024 km², which is 3.6 times Greenland. Greenland is usually called the largest island and Australia the smallest continent, which is why the two get compared. On a Mercator map Greenland looks larger than Australia. It is not close.
See it for yourself
Open the Atlas view of Perspective Map. Greenland has its own box there at true size, sitting where it belongs on an Equal Earth map. Switch to the Google map tab to see the Mercator version of the same places, then switch back.
Questions people ask
Is Greenland bigger than Africa?
No. Africa is about 14 times larger. Greenland is 2,166,086 km². The 54 countries of Africa add up to 30,030,427 km². Greenland only looks as big as Africa on maps that use the Mercator projection.
Is Greenland a country?
Greenland is an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. It runs its own government but is not a member of the United Nations. That is why Perspective Map shows it on the atlas but leaves it out of the country rankings.
How many people live in Greenland?
About 56,830 people, according to the 2025 UN estimate. Africa has about 1.55 billion people, roughly 27,000 times more.
How much of Greenland is ice?
About 80 percent. The Greenland ice sheet covers roughly 1.7 million km² of the island's 2.17 million km².
Which country is the same size as Greenland?
Saudi Arabia is the closest match at 2,149,690 km², almost exactly the same. DR Congo (2,344,858 km²) and Algeria (2,381,741 km²) are slightly bigger. Mexico (1,964,375 km²) is slightly smaller.
Which map shows Greenland at its true size?
Any equal-area projection, such as Equal Earth, Gall-Peters or Mollweide. Perspective Map draws every country as a box whose area is exact, and places the boxes on an Equal Earth map in the Atlas view.