Which is bigger: China or United States?

United States is larger (9,833,516.8 km²) — about 1.0 times the size of China (9,600,000 km²).

Why do China and United States look different on the map than in reality?

The common Mercator projection enlarges areas the farther they lie from the equator, so the on-map size proportions of China and United States are distorted compared to their true land area.

02Act II · 1:1 studioChange pair ↙

China×United States

Put China and United States on the same scale. Drag, separate, and see what the Mercator map hides.

Reverse order ⇄

True-size comparison

Same scale. Real difference.

Drag the outlines to overlap them, or place them side by side.

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China ↗

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Total surface area9,600,000 km²ed. 2024

Population1,406,585,0002025

Land area9,388,210 km²2023

TypeCountry

United States ↗

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Total surface area9,833,516.8 km²ed. 2024

Population341,784,8572025

Land area9,147,420 km²2023

TypeCountry