How big is Djibouti really?
Djibouti covers 23,200 km² (8,960 sq mi). On the usual world map (the Mercator projection) it is drawn close to its true size: it lies near the equator, where the usual world map stretches little.
See Djibouti at its true size on the map →True size vs the map
Both drawn at the same scale. The map keeps shapes but swells everything away from the equator.
Djibouti in numbers
- Djibouti is the 150th largest of the 196 countries and territories in Globegami.
- Countries of about the same true size: Belize (22,966 km²), El Salvador (21,041 km²), North Macedonia (25,713 km²).
- The United Kingdom is 10 times the size of Djibouti.
Why the map gets Djibouti wrong
Djibouti lies around 12°N. A Mercator map stretches distances there by about 1.02 times in every direction, which barely changes its size. Most web maps use this projection because it keeps angles and shapes right for navigation, not because it shows sizes fairly.
In Globegami you can drag a copy of Djibouti anywhere on Earth: it keeps its true size and grows or shrinks on the map as it moves, and you can fold the map back into a globe.
Areas: official totals including inland water (UN Statistics Division via Wikidata). Outlines: Natural Earth. How Globegami works