Europe · LTU · Country profile

Lithuania: true size, area and map scale

Explore the country's geographic outline, see it in different projections and compare it with a familiar scale.

True geographic outline
Simplified outline · Natural Earth65,286 km²
Total surface area
65,286 km²
2024 edition
Population
2,888,774
2025 data
Population density
46.1 per km²
Population ÷ land area
Land area
62,600 km²
2023 data
Capital
Vilnius
Europe
Country code
LTU
ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 / UN M49
Explore the shape

Country shape under different projections

The same country, different ways to show the Earth. Each outline opens a map with this country selected.

Loading outline

Mercator

Conformal, cylindrical. Meridians and parallels form a rectangular grid, and the spacing between parallels grows toward the poles, so polar regions are hugely enlarged.

Loading outline

Globe (Orthographic)

Neither equal-area nor conformal, perspective azimuthal. It looks like a photograph of the globe from space: only one hemisphere is visible, and areas near the edge of the disk are squeezed hard.

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Equal Earth

Equal-area, pseudocylindrical. Parallels are straight lines, the poles are flat lines, and the sides of the map are gently rounded, much like Robinson.

Outlines fit their tiles. They show changes in shape, not areas at a shared scale. The Mercator value estimates area inflation at the country's centre.

Understand the scale

How large is Lithuania?

A familiar reference, a similar area and a different latitude. Both outlines in each preview share the same scale.

LithuaniaOther country

The numbers in context

Lithuania: true size, population, and map scale without illusions

Lithuania covers 65,286 km², ranking 123 out of 200 by area in this dataset. Its scale becomes clearer when placed beside neighbors or a familiar reference country, because a wall map can flatten our intuition. Within Europe, that places it 22 out of 44.

Lithuania covers about 21% of the area of Poland. This comparison is deliberately simple: Poland works as an easy reference point, and then it makes sense to move toward a similarly sized country. By area, the closest match is Sri Lanka.

More about area, population and location

The population is approximately 2,888,774 people, with an average density of 46.1/km². Lithuania ranks 138 out of 197 by population and 140 out of 197 by density. That is moderate density, useful for reading the relationship between area, cities, and landscape.

Within its continent, Lithuania represents about 1.1% of the area and about 0.48% of the population covered by this dataset. Its continental population rank is 28 out of 43, so area alone does not tell the full story.

Europe is familiar from school maps, yet its northern position means comparisons with countries nearer the equator can still be surprising. That is why Lithuania is best read through several lenses: raw numbers, an equal-scale outline, a comparison with Poland, and a matchup with Sri Lanka. Then the map stops being a picture and starts becoming a tool for discovery.

If you want to remember the scale quickly, compare Lithuania with a country of similar area and a country of similar population. By population, Jamaica is a useful next clue.

The numeric values are used as comparative references for learning scale. Rankings include only countries and territories with a verified value in the selected sources.

Test your intuition

From map to challenge

Questions and sources

Frequently asked questions about size and location

What is the actual area of Lithuania?

Lithuania covers 65,286 km². In this dataset, that ranks 123 out of 200 by area, and 22 out of 44 within its continent. Lithuania covers about 21% of the area of Poland.

How many people live in Lithuania, and how dense is it?

The population is approximately 2,888,774 people, with an average density of 46.1/km². Lithuania ranks 138 out of 197 by population and 140 out of 197 by density. That is moderate density, useful for reading the relationship between area, cities, and landscape.

What should I compare Lithuania with to understand its scale?

Two comparisons work especially well: Lithuania vs Poland as a familiar reference point, and Lithuania vs Sri Lanka because their areas are very close. For population, Jamaica is another useful comparison.

Do world maps show Lithuania at the right scale?

Europe is familiar from school maps, yet its northern position means comparisons with countries nearer the equator can still be surprising. That is why a country's position on the map can mislead, while same-scale outline comparison usually gives a better intuition than a classic atlas.

Why can Lithuania look different in different map projections?

Every projection moves a globe onto a flat surface and must trade something away: shape, area, direction, or distance. On this page, you can compare the impression created by Mercator, orthographic, and equal-area views.

How should I use this page to remember the size of Lithuania?

Start with the numbers, open a 1vs1 comparison with a similar country, and then try the size-illusion quiz. That sequence combines facts, visuals, and play, making the scale easier to remember.

Take a closer look at the data

Each value keeps its own reference year or source edition. Boundaries are simplified and are not suitable for geodetic measurements.

Read the data methodology
Data correction

Lithuania

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Keep exploring

Geometry: Natural Earth / world-atlas, public domain. Outlines simplified and transformed into map projections. Sources, licences and data coverage.