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Chile's area vs Papua New Guinea's: size comparison by land type

Updated on by Georank team

Chile is 1.63 times bigger by total area compared to Papua New Guinea: 291,933 sq mi vs 178,704 sq mi. Without inland water, the land area of Chile is 286,809 sq mi vs 174,850 sq mi for Papua New Guinea — a 1.64 times difference in territory size.

  • Chile ranks 37/197 by total surface area vs 53/197 for Papua New Guinea.
  • Chile occupies 0.5% of the land mass of all countries, compared with 0.3% for Papua New Guinea.
  • 14.4% of Chile's area is agricultural land vs 3.1% in Papua New Guinea.
  • Chile has 0.22% of the world's agricultural land area — Papua has 0.03%.
  • 25% of Chile is covered by forests, compared to 79% in Papua.
  • 0.46% of the world's forests are in Chile, and 0.89% are in Papua New Guinea.

True size map comparison: Chile vs Papua New Guinea

See how Chile and Papua New Guinea compare in true size on the map. Drag the outlines to different latitudes to see how the Mercator projection affects their apparent size.

Total size and land area comparison

Chile Papua New Guinea
Total area 291,933
sq mi
178,704
sq mi
Size difference ratio 1.63 1
Total area rank 37/197 53/197
Share of all countries' surface area 0.15% 0.09%
Land area 286,809
sq mi
174,850
sq mi
Land area difference ratio 1.64 1
Land area rank 38/197 54/197
Share of all countries' land area 0.5% 0.3%
Population 19,764,771 10,576,502
Population density 69.6 ppl/mi² 62.6 ppl/mi²

Surface area by type

Chile Papua New Guinea
Forest area 71,736
sq mi
138,051
sq mi
Forest area as share of land 25% 79%
Forest area rank 34/196 19/196
World's forests share 0.46% 0.89%
Agricultural land area 41,303
sq mi
5,425
sq mi
Agricultural land share 14.4% 3.1%
Agricultural land area rank 68/194 132/194
Share of global agricultural land 0.22% 0.03%
Arable land 5,432
sq mi
1,274
sq mi
Arable land share 1.89% 0.73%
Arable land area rank 93/191 134/191
Permanent cropland 1,958
sq mi
3,417
sq mi
Permanent cropland share 0.68% 1.95%
Permanent cropland area rank 55/192 40/192
Water area 5,124
sq mi
3,853
sq mi
Water as share of total area 1.76% 2.16%
Water area rank 38/197 47/197
Roads length 53,427
mi
5,809
mi
Land borders length 4,847
mi
512
mi
Coastline length 3,999
mi
3,201
mi
Share of marine protected waters 41.2% 0.1%

Chile vs Papua New Guinea size on the map

Data sources: World Bank | Agriculture & Rural Development (2026, retrieved 2026-04-06).

GeoRank.org/size/chile/papua-new-guinea | CC BY

The map above outlines the borders of Chile and Papua New Guinea but is not accurate for size comparison because it's a 2d map with Mercator projection that distorts territories near the poles. The farther a country is from the equator, the more magnified it appears. More about country size projections.

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Data sources:

  1. World Bank | Agriculture & Rural Development (2023–2026, retrieved 2026-04-06)
  2. Wikidata (2026, retrieved 2026-02-08)
  3. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) (2025, retrieved 2026-02-20)
  4. United Nations | World Population Prospects (2026, retrieved 2026-03-10)

Total agricultural land encompasses all areas used for agriculture: territories under permanent and temporary crops and pastures. It includes land under flowering shrubs, fruit and nut trees, and vineyards, but excludes sites utilized for timber production.

Arable land encompasses fields utilized for temporary crop production, pastures, market or kitchen gardens, and temporarily fallowed land. Land abandoned due to shifting cultivation practices is not included.

Permanent cropland refers to farmland for the long-term cultivation of crops, such as coffee, cocoa, and rubber, which do not require replanting after each harvest. This category encompasses land with permanent crops like flowering shrubs, fruit and nut trees, and vines, but does not include land under trees for timber production.

Inland areas under water, such as large rivers, lakes, and some coastal waterways.

Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) — you’re free to copy, share, remix, adapt, and use even commercially as long as you give appropriate credit and clearly indicate if you made changes. Other sources may be subject to different license terms.