How big is Iraq really?
Iraq covers 437,072 km² (169,000 sq mi). On the usual world map (the Mercator projection) it is drawn about 1.43 times bigger than it really is.
See Iraq 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.
Iraq in numbers
- Iraq is the 59th largest of the 196 countries and territories in Globegami.
- On the map Iraq looks bigger than Kenya, but Kenya is really 1.33 times larger.
- Countries of about the same true size: Sweden (447,425 km²), Uzbekistan (448,978 km²), Yemen (455,503 km²).
- Iraq is 1.8 times the size of the United Kingdom.
Why the map gets Iraq wrong
Iraq lies around 33°N. A Mercator map stretches distances there by about 1.19 times in every direction, so areas come out roughly 1.42 times too big near its middle. 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 Iraq 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.
Compare Iraq
Areas: official totals including inland water (UN Statistics Division via Wikidata). Outlines: Natural Earth. How Globegami works