Brazil is 3.93 times larger than Greenland. 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 2,451,627 sq mi (6,349,681 km²).
Share of the two areas combined (true area, not map area)
| Metric | 🇬🇱 Greenland | 🇧🇷 Brazil | Ratio / Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Area (Sq Miles) | 836,330 sq mi | 3,287,957 sq mi | 0.25x |
| Total Area (Sq Kilometers) | 2,166,086 km² | 8,515,767 km² | 0.25x |
| Population | 56,600 | 214,300,000 | 3,786.2x less |
| Population Density | 0.1 people / sq mi | 65 people / sq mi | Brazil 963.1x denser |
| Capital or Seat | Nuuk | Brasília | - |
| Largest Metropolitan Area | Nuuk | São Paulo | - |
| Latitude Center | 72.0° | -14.0° | 86.0° lat diff |
| Mercator Area Inflation Factor | 10.47x | 1.06x | 9.88x visual distortion |
Greenland sits near the North Pole (72°N) while Brazil sits near the equator. Mercator inflates Greenland by over 10x relative to Brazil, creating a totally inverted mental model of the globe.
Mercator projection formulas stretch surface area proportionally to sec²(φ) = 1 / cos²(φ), magnifying landmasses drastically near the north and south poles.
Brazil is nearly 4 times larger than Greenland. Brazil covers 3,287,957 square miles (8,515,767 km²) compared to Greenland's 836,330 square miles (2,166,086 km²).
Greenland spans three time zones, though most of the island observes Western Greenland Time (UTC-2).
Brazil is the largest country in South America and borders every South American nation except Ecuador and Chile.
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 nearly four times larger than Greenland in actual surface area.
Brazil has about 214,300,000 people versus 56,600 in Greenland, roughly 3,786.2 times as many. Per square mile, that is about 0.1 people in Greenland and 65 in Brazil.
By area, Greenland (2,166,086 km²) fits into Brazil (8,515,767 km²) about 3.93 times. Shapes differ, so this is an area ratio, not a literal tiling.
