How big is Timor-Leste really?
Timor-Leste covers 14,919 km² (5,760 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 Timor-Leste 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.
Timor-Leste in numbers
- Timor-Leste is the 159th largest of the 196 countries and territories in Globegami.
- Countries of about the same true size: Montenegro (13,883 km²), Bahamas (13,878 km²), Eswatini (17,364 km²).
- The United Kingdom is 16 times the size of Timor-Leste.
Why the map gets Timor-Leste wrong
Timor-Leste lies around 9°S. 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 Timor-Leste 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