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South Korea's area vs Turkmenistan's: size comparison by land type

Updated on by Georank team

Turkmenistan is 4.9 times bigger by total area compared to South Korea: 189,657 sq mi vs 38,724 sq mi. Without inland water, the land area of Turkmenistan is 181,441 sq mi vs 37,684 sq mi for South Korea — a 4.81 times difference in territory size.

  • South Korea ranks 107/197 by total surface area vs 51/197 for Turkmenistan.
  • South Korea occupies 0.07% of the land mass of all countries, compared with 0.32% for Turkmenistan.
  • 16.1% of South Korea's area is agricultural land vs 84.2% in Turkmenistan.
  • S. Korea has 0.03% of the world's agricultural land area — Turkmenistan has 0.83%.
  • 64.1% of S. Korea is covered by forests, compared to 8.78% in Turkmenistan.
  • 0.15% of the world's forests are in South Korea, and 0.1% are in Turkmenistan.

True size map comparison: South Korea vs Turkmenistan

See how South Korea and Turkmenistan 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

South Korea Turkmenistan
Total area 38,724
sq mi
189,657
sq mi
Size difference ratio 1 4.9
Total area rank 107/197 51/197
Share of all countries' surface area 0.02% 0.1%
Land area 37,684
sq mi
181,441
sq mi
Land area difference ratio 1 4.81
Land area rank 105/197 53/197
Share of all countries' land area 0.07% 0.32%
Population 51,751,065 7,494,498
Population density 1,371 ppl/mi² 42.7 ppl/mi²

Surface area by type

South Korea Turkmenistan
Forest area 24,158
sq mi
15,934
sq mi
Forest area as share of land 64.1% 8.78%
Forest area rank 67/196 75/196
World's forests share 0.15% 0.1%
Agricultural land area 6,054
sq mi
152,812
sq mi
Agricultural land share 16.1% 84.2%
Agricultural land area rank 128/194 29/194
Share of global agricultural land 0.03% 0.83%
Arable land 5,622
sq mi
6,145
sq mi
Arable land share 14.9% 3.39%
Arable land area rank 92/191 88/191
Permanent cropland 792
sq mi
153.7
sq mi
Permanent cropland share 2.1% 0.08%
Permanent cropland area rank 83/192 129/192
Water area 1,041
sq mi
8,216
sq mi
Water as share of total area 2.69% 4.33%
Water area rank 85/197 26/197
Roads length 68,794
mi
n/a
Land borders length 147.3
mi
2,584
mi
Coastline length 1,499
mi
0
mi
Share of marine protected waters 2.2% 4.2%

South Korea vs Turkmenistan size on the map

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

GeoRank.org/size/south-korea/turkmenistan | CC BY

The map above outlines the borders of South Korea and Turkmenistan 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.