United Kingdom vs Japan — true size compared
Japan is about 1.55× the area of United Kingdom — a difference of roughly 134,365 km² (51,879 sq mi). You could fit United Kingdom inside Japan about 1 time.
The UK covers 243,610 km² (94,058 sq mi) across Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Japan spans 377,975 km² (145,937 sq mi) across four main islands in the western Pacific.
Overlay United Kingdom and Japan on the map →
Why maps make United Kingdom and Japan look wrong
Almost every web map — Google Maps, Apple Maps, OpenStreetMap — uses the Mercator projection. Mercator preserves shape locally, but it stretches land the further you get from the equator. Greenland ends up looking bigger than Africa. Alaska rivals the contiguous US. That's why United Kingdom and Japan can look similar on a world map even when one is many times larger. The only fair way to compare is to lift one outline off the map and drop it on top of the other at true scale.
Quick facts
- United Kingdom: 243,610 km² · 94,058 sq mi
- Japan: 377,975 km² · 145,937 sq mi
- Ratio: Japan is 1.55× United Kingdom
- Absolute difference: 134,365 km² (51,879 sq mi)
- United Kingdom fits inside Japan ~1 time
Frequently asked
Is United Kingdom bigger than Japan?
Japan is the bigger of the two, at 377,975 km² compared to 243,610 km² for United Kingdom.
How many times does United Kingdom fit inside Japan?
About 1 time — the exact ratio is 1.55×.
Why does the map exaggerate one of them?
Mercator projection. Places far from the equator get visually stretched. Overlay the two at true scale to see the honest comparison.