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  3. Sao Tome and Principe vs Switzerland

Sao Tome and Principe's area vs Switzerland's: size comparison by land type

Updated on by Georank team

Switzerland is 41.2 times bigger by total area compared to Sao Tome and Principe: 15,943 sq mi vs 386 sq mi. Without inland water, the land area of Switzerland is 15,255 sq mi vs 371 sq mi for Sao Tome and Principe — a 41.2 times difference in territory size.

  • Sao Tome and Principe ranks 172/197 by total surface area vs 131/197 for Switzerland.
  • Sao Tome and Principe occupies 0.0006% of the land mass of all countries, compared with 0.03% for Switzerland.
  • 44.8% of Sao Tome and Principe's area is agricultural land vs 37.8% in Switzerland.
  • Sao Tome has 0.0009% of the world's agricultural land area — Switzerland has 0.03%.
  • 52.1% of Sao Tome is covered by forests, compared to 32.4% in Switzerland.
  • 0.001% of the world's forests are in Sao Tome and Principe, and 0.03% are in Switzerland.

True size map comparison: Sao Tome and Principe vs Switzerland

See how Sao Tome and Principe and Switzerland 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

Sao Tome Switzerland
Total area 386
sq mi 		15,943
sq mi
Size difference ratio 1 41.2
Total area rank 172/197 131/197
Share of all countries' surface area 0.0002% 0.008%
Land area 371
sq mi 		15,255
sq mi
Land area difference ratio 1 41.2
Land area rank 172/197 131/197
Share of all countries' land area 0.0006% 0.03%
Population 235,536 9,005,582
Population density 661 ppl/mi² 596 ppl/mi²

Surface area by type

Sao Tome Switzerland
Forest area 193.2
sq mi 		4,940
sq mi
Forest area as share of land 52.1% 32.4%
Forest area rank 162/196 116/196
World's forests share 0.001% 0.03%
Agricultural land area 166
sq mi 		5,765
sq mi
Agricultural land share 44.8% 37.8%
Agricultural land area rank 170/194 129/194
Share of global agricultural land 0.0009% 0.03%
Arable land 15.4
sq mi 		1,531
sq mi
Arable land share 4.17% 10%
Arable land area rank 177/191 130/191
Permanent cropland 146.7
sq mi 		97.7
sq mi
Permanent cropland share 39.6% 0.64%
Permanent cropland area rank 132/192 144/192
Water area 15.8
sq mi 		688
sq mi
Water as share of total area 4.1% 4.31%
Water area rank 142/197 96/197
Roads length 808
mi 		52,266
mi
Land borders length 0
mi 		1,100
mi
Coastline length 129.9
mi 		0
mi
Share of marine protected waters 0% n/a

Sao Tome and Principe vs Switzerland size on the map

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

GeoRank.org/size/sao-tome-and-principe/switzerland | CC BY

The map above outlines the borders of Sao Tome and Principe and Switzerland 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.