Australia is nearly the exact same size as the 48 contiguous United States (95.2% of its area). Areas below are total areas from national statistics; the Mercator factor shows how much a standard web map inflates each one.
Contiguous United States is larger by 150,519 sq mi (389,843 km²).
Share of the two areas combined (true area, not map area)
| Metric | 🇦🇺 Australia | 🇺🇸 Contiguous United States | Ratio / Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Area (Sq Miles) | 2,969,907 sq mi | 3,120,426 sq mi | 0.95x |
| Total Area (Sq Kilometers) | 7,692,024 km² | 8,081,867 km² | 0.95x |
| Population | 26,000,000 | 330,000,000 | 12.7x less |
| Population Density | 8.8 people / sq mi | 106 people / sq mi | Contiguous US 12.1x denser |
| Capital or Seat | Canberra | Washington, D.C. | - |
| Largest Metropolitan Area | Sydney | New York City | - |
| Latitude Center | -25.0° | 38.0° | 63.0° lat diff |
| Mercator Area Inflation Factor | 1.22x | 1.61x | 0.76x visual distortion |
Because the contiguous US is further north (38°N) than Australia is south (25°S), Mercator maps make the US appear much wider. In reality, Australia covers almost the entire footprint of the lower 48 states.
Mercator projection formulas stretch surface area proportionally to sec²(φ) = 1 / cos²(φ), magnifying landmasses drastically near the north and south poles.
Australia and the contiguous 48 United States are strikingly similar in physical size. Australia covers 2,969,907 square miles, while the Lower 48 US states cover 3,120,426 square miles (a difference of just 5%).
Over 85% of Australia's population lives within 31 miles (50 km) of the coast.
The contiguous US spans four primary time zones (Eastern, Central, Mountain, Pacific).
Mercator factors use the center latitude only (area scale = 1 / cos² of latitude), so they are approximations for places that span many degrees of latitude.
Use published areas from national statistics offices or census gazetteers rather than judging by pixels on a flat web map.
Remember that Web Mercator tiles distort areas by 1/cos²(latitude). High-latitude regions appear vastly larger than equatorial states.
Drag one outline over the other in the true size tool; the shape is re-projected as it moves, so it keeps its real size.
The contiguous US is only slightly larger (about 5% larger) than Australia. If you overlay Australia onto the lower 48, it stretches from the Pacific to the Atlantic.
Contiguous United States has about 330,000,000 people versus 26,000,000 in Australia, roughly 12.7 times as many. Per square mile, that is about 8.8 people in Australia and 106 in Contiguous United States.
