Prefecture of Japan
Saitama
埼玉県Saitama is a prefecture of Japan. It covers about 3,880 km² (1,500 mi²), the 39th largest of the 47 prefectures in Natural Earth’s file for Japan, and about the same size as Cape Verde. About 7.3 million people live there (Wikidata, 2021).
50 km
- Cape Verde
- Saitama
Facts
| Area, measured | 3,880 km²1,500 mi² |
|---|---|
| Official area | 3,800 km²Wikidata · 2.3% below our measure |
| Share of Japan | 1.0%of the area of the 47 prefectures |
| Rank by area | 39th of 47prefectures of Japan |
| Population | 7.3 millionWikidata, 2021 |
| Density | 1,890 people per km² |
| Capital | Saitama |
| Latitude range | 36°N to 36°N |
| Type | PrefectureJP-11 |
What the numbers say about Saitama
- Saitama covers 1.0% of the area of Japan and ranks 5th of 47 by population, against 39th by area.
- It would take 96.2 prefectures the size of Saitama to cover Japan.
- The largest, Hokkaido (Japan), is 20.3× the size of Saitama; the smallest, Kagawa, is 48% of it.
- Closest in size within Japan: Nara (3,850 km², 1.01×) and Nagasaki (3,990 km², 1.03×).
- Counted as a country, Saitama would be larger than 63 of the 239 countries and territories listed on sizeversus, and would rank 177th by area, between South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (3,920 km²) and French Polynesia (3,340 km²).
- With 7.3 million people it would rank 105th of 238 by population.
- Saitama has 1,890 people per km².
- That makes Saitama the 4th most densely populated of the 47 prefectures, 5.59× the average for Japan (338 per km²).
- On a standard web map (Web Mercator), a place at 36°N is drawn about 1.5× too large in area, so Saitama looks bigger there than it is.
- Laid out flat, Saitama stretches about 58 km north to south and 106 km east to west.
- Our measured 3,880 km² is 2.3% above Wikidata's official figure of 3,800 km². Official figures can include inland water or count land that an outline draws differently.
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.
- ChinaAreaShanghai58% · 6,750 km²PeopleNingxia1.02× · 7.2 million (2020)
- United StatesAreaDelaware75% · 5,170 km²PeopleArizona1.03× · 7.2 million (2020)
- IndiaAreaGoa1.14× · 3,420 km²PeopleHimachal Pradesh1.07× · 6.9 million (2011)
- GermanyAreaSaarland1.46× · 2,650 km²PeopleLower Saxony0.92× · 7.9 million (2022)
- FranceAreaRéunion (France)1.50× · 2,580 km²PeopleAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes90% · 8.2 million (2022)
- ItalyAreaMolise86% · 4,530 km²PeopleLazio1.25× · 5.9 million (2019)
- SpainAreaBalearic Islands76% · 5,120 km²PeopleCommunity of Madrid1.05× · 7.0 million (2024)
- BrazilAreaFederal District67% · 5,790 km²PeopleSanta Catarina0.96× · 7.6 million (2022)
- CanadaAreaPrince Edward Island68% · 5,730 km²PeopleQuebec86% · 8.5 million (2021)
- AustraliaAreaAustralian Capital Territory1.65× · 2,350 km²PeopleVictoria1.05× · 7.0 million (2024)
- MexicoAreaTlaxcala1.00× · 3,870 km²PeopleJalisco0.94× · 7.8 million (2015)
- ThailandAreaAmnat Charoen0.99× · 3,930 km²PeopleBangkok1.29× · 5.7 million (2018)
Where Saitama sits in Japan
All 47 drawn on one equal-area map, so sizes are comparable. Select another to open it.
Compare Saitama
- Ningxia vs Saitama
- Amnat Charoen vs Saitama
- Cape Verde vs Saitama
- Trinidad and Tobago vs Saitama
- Libya vs Saitama
- Austria vs Saitama
- Switzerland vs Saitama
- Saitama vs Luxembourg
- Saitama vs Australian Capital Territory
- Prince Edward Island vs Saitama
- Shanghai vs Saitama
- Federal District vs Saitama
- Delaware vs Saitama
- Saitama vs Goa
- Saitama vs Tlaxcala
- Balearic Islands vs Saitama
- Saitama vs Réunion (France)
- Saitama vs Saarland
- Molise vs Saitama
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