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China's area vs the Seychelles': size comparison by land type

Updated on by Georank team

China is 20,908 times bigger by total area compared to the Seychelles: 3,705,407 sq mi vs 177.2 sq mi. Without inland water, the land area of China is 3,624,808 sq mi vs 177.6 sq mi for the Seychelles — a 20,409 times difference in territory size.

  • China ranks 4/197 by total surface area vs 181/197 for the Seychelles.
  • China occupies 6.3% of the land mass of all countries, compared with 0.0003% for the Seychelles.
  • 55.4% of China's area is agricultural land vs 3.37% in the Seychelles.
  • China has 10.9% of the world's agricultural land area — the Seychelles has 0.00003%.
  • 24% of China is covered by forests, compared to 73.3% in the Seychelles.
  • 5.58% of the world's forests are in China, and 0.0008% are in the Seychelles.

True size map comparison: China vs Seychelles

See how China and the Seychelles 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

China Seychelles
Total area 3,705,407
sq mi
177.2
sq mi
Size difference ratio 20,908 1
Total area rank 4/197 181/197
Share of all countries' surface area 1.88% 0.00009%
Land area 3,624,808
sq mi
177.6
sq mi
Land area difference ratio 20,409 1
Land area rank 2/197 181/197
Share of all countries' land area 6.3% 0.0003%
Population 1,408,975,000 121,354
Population density 387 ppl/mi² 708 ppl/mi²

Surface area by type

China Seychelles
Forest area 871,112
sq mi
130.1
sq mi
Forest area as share of land 24% 73.3%
Forest area rank 5/196 169/196
World's forests share 5.58% 0.0008%
Agricultural land area 2,009,326
sq mi
5.98
sq mi
Agricultural land share 55.4% 3.37%
Agricultural land area rank 1/194 192/194
Share of global agricultural land 10.9% 0.00003%
Arable land 418,639
sq mi
0.58
sq mi
Arable land share 11.5% 0.33%
Arable land area rank 4/191 191/191
Permanent cropland 73,950
sq mi
5.41
sq mi
Permanent cropland share 2.04% 3.04%
Permanent cropland area rank 2/192 180/192
Water area 80,599
sq mi
0
sq mi
Water as share of total area 2.18% 0%
Water area rank 5/197 190/197
Roads length 3,411,576
mi
327
mi
Land borders length 13,954
mi
0
mi
Coastline length 9,010
mi
305
mi
Share of marine protected waters 4.8% 32.6%

China vs Seychelles size on the map

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

GeoRank.org/size/china/seychelles | CC BY

The map above outlines the borders of China and the Seychelles 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.

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