How big is South Sudan really?
South Sudan covers 644,329 km² (249,000 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 South Sudan 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.
South Sudan in numbers
- South Sudan is the 42nd largest of the 196 countries and territories in Globegami.
- Countries of about the same true size: Afghanistan (652,230 km²), Central African Republic (622,984 km²), Myanmar (676,577 km²).
- South Sudan is 2.7 times the size of the United Kingdom.
Why the map gets South Sudan wrong
South Sudan lies around 7°N. A Mercator map stretches distances there by about 1.01 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 South Sudan 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