Italy vs United Kingdom: size comparison
Italy is 1.2 times the size of United Kingdom.
- Italy 301,340 km²
- United Kingdom 242,500 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
Italy is centred around 44°N and United Kingdom around 54°N. At those latitudes the Mercator projection used by most world maps draws Italy 1.9 times and United Kingdom 2.9 times larger than they would appear at the equator.
So on a typical world map, United Kingdom looks 1.2 times the size of Italy. In reality Italy is 1.2 times the size of United Kingdom. The map gets it backwards: the country that looks bigger is actually the smaller one.
| Country | True area | Centred around | Mercator enlargement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 301,340 km² | 44°N | ×1.9 |
| United Kingdom | 242,500 km² | 54°N | ×2.9 |
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
- United Kingdom vs Japan
- United Kingdom vs Germany
- United Kingdom vs New Zealand
- United Kingdom vs Madagascar
- United Kingdom vs France
- Finland vs Italy
- Philippines vs Italy
- Vietnam vs Italy
- Greenland vs DR Congo
- Greenland vs Australia
- Greenland vs United States
- Greenland vs Brazil
- Greenland vs India
- Greenland vs Mexico
- Greenland vs Saudi Arabia
- Greenland vs Algeria
- Russia vs Canada
- Russia vs United States
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Italy vs United Kingdom: questions
Which is bigger, Italy or United Kingdom?
Italy is 1.2 times the size of United Kingdom. Italy covers 301,340 km² and United Kingdom covers 242,500 km².
Why do Italy and United Kingdom look a different size on world maps?
Italy is centred around 44°N and United Kingdom around 54°N. At those latitudes the Mercator projection used by most world maps draws Italy 1.9 times and United Kingdom 2.9 times larger than they would appear at the equator. So on a typical world map, United Kingdom looks 1.2 times the size of Italy.
How many times does United Kingdom fit into Italy?
By area, United Kingdom would fit into Italy about 1.2 times.