Brazil is 5.4% larger than the 48 contiguous United States. Areas below are total areas from national statistics; the Mercator factor shows how much a standard web map inflates each one.
Brazil is larger by 167,531 sq mi (433,900 km²).
Share of the two areas combined (true area, not map area)
| Metric | 🇧🇷 Brazil | 🇺🇸 Contiguous United States | Ratio / Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Area (Sq Miles) | 3,287,957 sq mi | 3,120,426 sq mi | 1.05x |
| Total Area (Sq Kilometers) | 8,515,767 km² | 8,081,867 km² | 1.05x |
| Population | 214,300,000 | 330,000,000 | 1.5x less |
| Population Density | 65 people / sq mi | 106 people / sq mi | Contiguous US 1.6x denser |
| Capital or Seat | Brasília | Washington, D.C. | - |
| Largest Metropolitan Area | São Paulo | New York City | - |
| Latitude Center | -14.0° | 38.0° | 52.0° lat diff |
| Mercator Area Inflation Factor | 1.06x | 1.61x | 0.66x visual distortion |
Because Brazil sits near the equator where Mercator distortion is minimal, standard world maps make the lower 48 US look much larger than Brazil. In reality, Brazil is larger than the entire contiguous United States.
Mercator projection formulas stretch surface area proportionally to sec²(φ) = 1 / cos²(φ), magnifying landmasses drastically near the north and south poles.
Brazil is actually larger than the 48 contiguous United States by over 167,000 square miles (3,287,957 sq mi vs 3,120,426 sq mi). It is only when including Alaska that the total US exceeds Brazil.
The Amazon River basin in Brazil discharges more water than the next seven largest rivers combined.
Brazil is larger than the 48 contiguous United States.
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.
Yes! Brazil is 5.4% larger than the 48 contiguous United States. When Alaska and Hawaii are added, the total US becomes larger than Brazil.
Contiguous United States has about 330,000,000 people versus 214,300,000 in Brazil, roughly 1.5 times as many. Per square mile, that is about 65 people in Brazil and 106 in Contiguous United States.
