Prefecture of Japan
Osaka
大阪府Osaka is a prefecture of Japan. It covers about 1,860 km² (716 mi²), the 46th largest of the 47 prefectures in Natural Earth’s file for Japan, and 93% of the size of Mauritius. About 8.8 million people live there (Wikidata, 2021).
200 km
- Mauritius
- Osaka
Facts
| Area, measured | 1,860 km²716 mi² |
|---|---|
| Official area | 1,910 km²Wikidata · 2.6% above our measure |
| Share of Japan | 0.5%of the area of the 47 prefectures |
| Rank by area | 46th of 47prefectures of Japan |
| Population | 8.8 millionWikidata, 2021 |
| Density | 4,758 people per km² |
| Capital | Osaka |
| Latitude range | 34°N to 35°N |
| Type | PrefectureJP-27 |
What the numbers say about Osaka
- Osaka covers 0.5% of the area of Japan and ranks 3rd of 47 by population, against 46th by area.
- It would take 201 prefectures the size of Osaka to cover Japan.
- The largest, Hokkaido (Japan), is 42.5× the size of Osaka; the smallest, Kagawa, is 100% of it.
- Closest in size within Japan: Kagawa (1,850 km², 1.00×) and Okinawa (2,150 km², 1.16×).
- Counted as a country, Osaka would be larger than 58 of the 239 countries and territories listed on sizeversus, and would rank 182nd by area, between Mauritius (2,000 km²) and the Comoros (1,670 km²).
- With 8.8 million people it would rank 100th of 238 by population.
- Osaka has 4,758 people per km².
- That makes Osaka the 2nd most densely populated of the 47 prefectures, 14.1× the average for Japan (338 per km²).
- On a standard web map (Web Mercator), a place at 35°N is drawn about 1.5× too large in area, so Osaka looks bigger there than it is.
- Laid out flat, Osaka stretches about 80 km north to south and 58 km east to west.
- Our measured 1,860 km² is 2.6% below Wikidata's official figure of 1,910 km². Official figures can include inland water or count land that an outline draws differently.
- Osaka is small enough that Natural Earth draws it from only 55 points. Take its shape as a sketch and the official figure as the firmer number.
About the same size as
Beside the regions of other countries
The closest region by area and by people in each of the other countries that have regional pages here, within a factor of 2. All 395 regions side by side.
- ChinaAreanone within 2×PeopleHainan88% · 10.1 million (2020)
- United StatesAreaRhode Island65% · 2,830 km²PeopleVirginia1.02× · 8.6 million (2020)
- IndiaAreaDelhi1.25× · 1,480 km²PeopleUttarakhand88% · 10.1 million (2011)
- GermanyAreaSaarland70% · 2,650 km²PeopleLower Saxony1.11× · 7.9 million (2022)
- FranceAreaGuadeloupe1.12× · 1,660 km²PeopleAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes1.08× · 8.2 million (2022)
- ItalyAreaAosta Valley56% · 3,300 km²PeopleLombardy88% · 10.1 million (2019)
- SpainAreanone within 2×PeopleAndalusia1.02× · 8.6 million (2024)
- BrazilAreanone within 2×PeopleCeará1.00× · 8.8 million (2022)
- CanadaAreanone within 2×PeopleQuebec1.04× · 8.5 million (2021)
- AustraliaAreaAustralian Capital Territory79% · 2,350 km²PeopleNew South Wales1.03× · 8.5 million (2024)
- MexicoAreaMexico City1.35× · 1,380 km²PeopleMexico City0.99× · 8.9 million (2015)
- ThailandAreaPattani0.93× · 2,000 km²PeopleBangkok1.55× · 5.7 million (2018)
Where Osaka sits in Japan
All 47 drawn on one equal-area map, so sizes are comparable. Select another to open it.
Compare Osaka
- Ceará vs Osaka
- Mauritius vs Osaka
- Osaka vs Comoros
- Papua New Guinea vs Osaka
- Austria vs Osaka
- Switzerland vs Osaka
- Luxembourg vs Osaka
- Australian Capital Territory vs Osaka
- Rhode Island vs Osaka
- Osaka vs Delhi
- Osaka vs Mexico City
- Osaka vs Guadeloupe
- Saarland vs Osaka
- Aosta Valley vs Osaka
- Pattani vs Osaka
- Pará vs Osaka
Share this outline
Sources and method
- Outline
- Natural Earth, 1:10m Admin 1 - States, Provinces, public domain
- Boundary
- De facto, as drawn by Natural Earth.
- Area
- Measured on the WGS84 ellipsoid from the full-detail outline, shown rounded. The region’s whole area is counted, every island included.
- Official figures
- Area, population and capital from Wikidata (CC0), fetched 2026-11-12
- Population
- Wikidata, 2021. Japan’s units share the 2021 figures where Wikidata has them; the year is shown wherever the figure is.
- Matching
- Countries come from Natural Earth’s country file. Places whose status is contested and dependencies are never used as automatic matches. A region under 2,500 km² is matched against the small countries and island nations.
- Data built
- 2026-11-12