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Israel's area vs the Vatican's: size comparison by land type

Updated on by Georank team

Israel is 42,388 times bigger by total area compared to the Vatican: 8,019 sq mi vs 0.19 sq mi. Without inland water, the land area of Israel is 8,355 sq mi vs 0.17 sq mi for the Vatican — a 49,182 times difference in territory size.

  • Israel ranks 150/197 by total surface area vs 197/197 for the Vatican.
  • Israel occupies 0.01% of the land mass of all countries, compared with 0.0000003% for the Vatican.

True size map comparison: Israel vs Vatican

See how Israel and the Vatican 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

Israel Vatican
Total area 8,019
sq mi
0.19
sq mi
Size difference ratio 42,388 1
Total area rank 150/197 197/197
Share of all countries' surface area 0.004% 0.0000001%
Land area 8,355
sq mi
0.17
sq mi
Land area difference ratio 49,182 1
Land area rank 149/197 197/197
Share of all countries' land area 0.01% 0.0000003%
Population 9,974,400 1,000
Population density 1,227 ppl/mi² 5,493 ppl/mi²

Surface area by type

Israel Vatican
Forest area 541
sq mi
n/a
Forest area as share of land 6.47% n/a
Forest area rank 158/196 n/a
World's forests share 0.003% n/a
Agricultural land area 2,072
sq mi
n/a
Agricultural land share 24.8% n/a
Agricultural land area rank 148/194 n/a
Share of global agricultural land 0.01% n/a
Arable land 1,048
sq mi
n/a
Arable land share 12.5% n/a
Arable land area rank 137/191 n/a
Permanent cropland 391
sq mi
n/a
Permanent cropland share 4.68% n/a
Permanent cropland area rank 103/192 n/a
Water area 0
sq mi
0.02
sq mi
Water as share of total area 0% 10.2%
Water area rank 176/197 167/197
Roads length 12,670
mi
5.59
mi
Land borders length 664
mi
2.11
mi
Coastline length 169.6
mi
0
mi
Share of marine protected waters 0.6% n/a

Israel vs Vatican size on the map

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

GeoRank.org/size/israel/vatican | CC BY

The map above outlines the borders of Israel and the Vatican 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) (2019–2025, 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.