South Sudan is 1.14× the size of France

South Sudan covers about 627,000 km² (242,000 mi²) and France about 548,000 km² (212,000 mi²). Below, both outlines are drawn at one scale and centred on each other.

627,000km²South Sudan
548,000km²France

200 km

South Sudan
France

Outlines show main territory. France also has about 88,900 km² of overseas territory. These are not drawn, and not counted in the comparison.

What fits

France is 87% of the size of South Sudan.
South Sudan is larger by 79,000 km² (30,500 mi²), which is 14% of the area of France.
Measured in Belgiums: South Sudan is about 20.4, France about 17.9.

How they differ

South Sudan is larger, but France has the larger population: 68.6 million against 12.6 million, 5.46× as many people.
Per square kilometre that is 108 in France against 20 in South Sudan: France is 5.37× as densely populated.
Their centres are about 5,100 km apart.
On a standard web map France looks larger than South Sudan: South Sudan at 7°N is drawn about 1.0× too large and France at 47°N about 2.1×, so the map shows France as 1.82× the size of South Sudan, when South Sudan is 1.14× the size of France.
Together South Sudan and France cover 1,175,000 km², close to the size of Niger (1,181,000 km², 0.6% bigger).
The gap between them, 79,000 km², is about the size of Czechia (78,800 km²).
At France's density, South Sudan would have 67.5 million people (it has 12.6 million). At South Sudan's density, France would have 12.8 million (it has 68.6 million).
France's centre is 39.2° of latitude, about 4,360 km, farther north than South Sudan's.

Who wins on what

Measure	Winner	By
Larger area	South Sudan	1.14×
More people	France	5.46×
More crowded	France	5.37×
Farther north	France	39.2° of latitude
Stretched more on a web map	France	2.1× against 1.0×

Both against the same yardsticks

Yardstick	South Sudan	France
Belgium 30,700 km²	20.4×	17.9×
United Kingdom 244,000 km²	2.57×	2.25×
Germany 358,000 km²	1.75×	1.53×
Japan 374,000 km²	1.68×	1.47×
India 3,151,000 km²	0.20×	0.17×
Brazil 8,473,000 km²	0.07×	0.06×
United States 9,447,000 km²	0.07×	0.06×
Russia 16,980,000 km²	0.04×	0.03×

Each figure is the place's area divided by the yardstick's.

Side by side

	South Sudan	France
Area, main territory	627,000 km²242,000 mi²	548,000 km²212,000 mi²
Area with overseas territory	627,000 km²	637,000 km²
Population	12.6 millionWikidata, 2017	68.6 millionWikidata, 2025
Density	20 per km²	108 per km²
Official area	644,000 km²Wikidata	644,000 km²Wikidata
Capital	Juba	Paris
Latitude range	3°N to 12°N	41°N to 51°N
Continent	Africa	Europe

Population: Wikidata 2017 and Wikidata 2025, covering each whole country. Official figures: Wikidata (CC0).

Our measured 627,000 km² is 2.7% below Wikidata's official figure of 644,000 km². Official figures can include inland water or count land that an outline draws differently.
Wikidata's official figure of 644,000 km² agrees with our measured area of 637,000 km², to within 2%.

Similar in size to South Sudan

Similar in size to France

More comparisons

Sources and method

Outlines: Natural Earth, 1:10m Admin 0 - Countries, public domain
Boundary: De facto, as drawn by Natural Earth. Main territory: the largest landmass and every part within 1,000 km of it.
Area: Measured on the WGS84 ellipsoid from the full-detail outlines, shown rounded. Comparisons use main-territory area.
Drawing: Each outline is projected with an equal-area projection centred on its own centroid, so areas stay true and the two can be laid over each other.
Data built: 2026-11-11

Full method