Is Brazil Bigger Than California? (With Infographic)

California is famous for being a gigantic state (the third-largest of the United States). However, when compared to one of the largest countries in the world, we may find out that it’s not that big. Fun exercise, right? So it’s time to check: is Brazil bigger than California?

Brazil is bigger than California. Actually, Brazil is even bigger than the contiguous United States (the US without Alaska and Hawaii). The total area of California is 162,696 mi², while the full size of Brazil is 3,287,956 mi². It means that Brazil is about 21 times bigger than California.

California is far from being a small state. One of the largest of the US, losing only to Alaska and Texas (of course). But Brazil is one of the biggest countries on Earth, comparable to the continent and even more extensive than Oceania. To learn more about the total area of Brazil and California and a visual comparison of both places, read on.

Brazil Is (Way) Bigger Than California (Infographic)

Brazil Has A Continental Size

Brazil is a gigantic country with continental dimensions. Its total area is 3,287,956 mi² (8,515,767 km2). It’s the fifth-largest country in the world losing only to the United States, China, Canada, and Russia. With over 211 million inhabitants, Brazil is the sixth-most populous. The country is so big that it has four different time zones in its territory:

UTC−5 (from the state of Acre to the westernmost portion of Amazonas)
UTC−4 (in the western states)
UTC−3 (in the eastern states, considered national time and known as Brasilia Time)
UTC−2 (in the Atlantic islands)

Also, Brazil is by far the biggest country in South America. And there’s another fact that’s even more impressive: Brazil borders all the nations of South America, except for just two: Chile and Ecuador. Finally, to visually understand how big Brazil is, check out the image below how many countries would fit within the Brazilian territory. The image is from a third party, but unfortunately, we don’t know the author to give the credits to.

California Is A Gigantic State

California is not a small state. On the contrary, it’s quite the opposite. At 163,695 square miles, it’s the third-largest of the United States (losing only to Alaska and Texas). Even if it were a country, California would be considered a big one, ranking the 59th largest. With a population of 40 million people, it has a larger population than either Canada or Australia. The economy in California is thriving as well: if it were an independent country, it would be the 5th largest economy globally.

50 US States Ranked By Total Area

Rank	State Name	Square Miles
1	Alaska	663,267
2	Texas	268,581
3	California	163,696
4	Montana	147,042
5	New Mexico	121,589
6	Arizona	113,998
7	Nevada	110,561
8	Colorado	104,094
9	Oregon	98,381
10	Wyoming	97,814
11	Michigan	96,716
12	Minnesota	86,939
13	Utah	84,899
14	Idaho	83,570
15	Kansas	82,277
16	Nebraska	77,354
17	South Dakota	77,117
18	Washington	71,300
19	North Dakota	70,700
20	Oklahoma	69,898
21	Missouri	69,704
22	Florida	65,755
23	Wisconsin	65,498
24	Georgia	59,425
25	Illinois	57,914
26	Iowa	56,272
27	New York	54,556
28	North Carolina	53,819
29	Arkansas	53,179
30	Alabama	52,419
31	Louisiana	51,840
32	Mississippi	48,430
33	Pennsylvania	46,055
34	Ohio	44,825
35	Virginia	42,774
36	Tennessee	42,143
37	Kentucky	40,409
38	Indiana	36,418
39	Maine	35,385
40	South Carolina	32,020
41	West Virginia	24,230
42	Maryland	12,407
43	Hawaii	10,931
44	Massachusetts	10,555
45	Vermont	9,614
46	New Hampshire	9,350
47	New Jersey	8,721
48	Connecticut	5,543
49	Delaware	2,489
50	Rhode Island	1,545

California Looks Tiny (When Compared To Brazil)

As shown before, California is a gigantic state. One hundred sixty-three thousand six hundred ninety-five square miles (or 423.970 km²) is a whole lot of land. However, my friend, when it comes to sizing, it is all about perspective. So when we compare the Bear Flag State to Brazil, it looks tiny. But, on the other hand, Brazil is so huge that its territory could fit California 21 times. 21 times!

California has a total area of 163,696 mi², while the full size of Brazil is exactly 3,287,956 mi². Therefore, it means that the size of Brazil surpasses California in 3,125,260 mi². Also, it shows that Brazil is about 21 times bigger than California (20.08 to be precise).

California Is Bigger Than 136 Countries

California may look tiny compared to Brazil, but again, perspective is everything. California is bigger than 136 countries (out of 195). For example, the Bear Flag State is bigger than these 5 important European nations: Portugal, Italy, Germany, Ireland, and even the United Kingdom. Cali is almost 5 times the size of Portugal and Ireland, almost 2 times the size of the entire United Kingdom, and bigger than Italy and Germany.

And those are just to give some perspective; there are many more countries smaller than the Bear Flag State. Last but not least, to visually understand How Big Is California check the amazing infographic made by SpareFoot highlighting and comparing Cal with other states and countries.

Country / State	Total Area
California	163,696 mi² (423,970 km²)
Portugal	35,560 mi² (92,090 km²)
Italy	116,346 mi² (301,336 km²)
Germany	137,882 mi² (357,114 km²)
Ireland	27,133 mi² (70,273 km²)
United Kingdom	93,628 mi² (242,495 km²)