India vs China: size comparison
China is 2.9 times the size of India.
- India 3,287,260 km²
- China 9,596,960 km²
Drag a country, see its true size
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Drag the coloured shape anywhere on the map. It keeps its real size on the globe, so the map redraws it bigger near the poles and smaller near the equator.
Why they look different on a map
India is centred around 23°N and China around 37°N. At those latitudes the Mercator projection used by most world maps draws India 1.2 times and China 1.6 times larger than they would appear at the equator.
So on a typical world map, China looks 3.8 times the size of India. In reality China is 2.9 times the size of India.
| Country | True area | Centred around | Mercator enlargement |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | 3,287,260 km² | 23°N | ×1.2 |
| China | 9,596,960 km² | 37°N | ×1.6 |
The stretch is 1 divided by the cosine of the latitude, squared. At 60° north a country is drawn four times larger than the same country would be at the equator.
More size comparisons
- Greenland vs India
- Russia vs China
- Russia vs India
- Canada vs China
- United States vs China
- India vs United States
- India vs Australia
- Kazakhstan vs India
- Argentina vs India
- Greenland vs DR Congo
- Greenland vs Australia
- Greenland vs United States
- Greenland vs Brazil
- Greenland vs Mexico
- Greenland vs Saudi Arabia
- Greenland vs Algeria
- Russia vs Canada
- Russia vs United States
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India vs China: questions
Which is bigger, India or China?
China is 2.9 times the size of India. India covers 3,287,260 km² and China covers 9,596,960 km².
Why do India and China look a different size on world maps?
India is centred around 23°N and China around 37°N. At those latitudes the Mercator projection used by most world maps draws India 1.2 times and China 1.6 times larger than they would appear at the equator. So on a typical world map, China looks 3.8 times the size of India.
How many times does India fit into China?
By area, India would fit into China about 2.9 times.