True size comparison
Greenland vs Africa
Africa is about 14 times the size of Greenland. Compare their areas and drag Greenland over Africa on an interactive map to see the difference.
14.0×
Africa is about 14.0 times the area of Greenland.
Is Greenland really as big as Africa?
No. Greenland sits much farther from the equator than most of Africa, so a Mercator map enlarges it much more. Moving the outlines to the same latitude makes the difference easier to see. Greenland is an island, while Africa is an entire continent.
By these reference figures, Greenland covers about 7.1% of Africa’s area. This is an area ratio, rather than a count of outlines that can fit neatly inside one another.
Try the comparison yourself
Open the prepared map with both outlines already selected. Drag Greenland over Africa, then move the two outlines north or south to explore how their appearance changes with latitude.
See the map controlsArea, with context
- Greenland
- 2,166,086 km²
- Total area, including the ice-covered interior and offshore islands; not just ice-free land.
- Statistics Greenland — Greenland in Figures 2013
- Africa
- 30,365,000 km²
- Approximate continental area, including associated islands.
- Continental area estimates (Britannica figures reproduced by Wikipedia)
Ratios are calculated from these reference figures and rounded. Continental definitions, water coverage, and boundary datasets can differ, so the map outlines may not match the reference areas exactly. Learn more about our boundary data.