
Alaska is approximately 1,481,348 sq km, while Australia is approximately 7,741,220 sq km, making Australia about four times larger than Alaska. This comparison uses the Mercator projection, which distorts the size of regions near the poles. Interestingly, while Alaska is the largest state in the United States, several individual Australian states are larger in area than Alaska.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Land Area | Alaska: 665,384 sq. miles (1,723,337 sq. km) Australia: 2,969,907 sq. miles (7,692,024 sq. km) Australia is almost 4.5 times larger than Alaska. |
| Population | Alaska: 731,545 (2022 estimate) Australia: 26,096,195 (June 2022) Australia's population is over 35 times that of Alaska. |
| Population Density | Alaska: 0.4 people per sq. mile (0.2 people per sq. km) Australia: 8.5 people per sq. km (2.5 people per sq. mile) Australia has a far higher population density. |
| Highest Point | Alaska: Denali (20,310 feet or 6,190 meters) Australia: Mount Kosciuszko (7,310 feet or 2,228 meters) Denali, in Alaska, is the higher peak. |
| Climate | Alaska: Largely subarctic and polar climate Australia: Mostly desert or semi-arid, with tropical climate in north |
| Time Zone | Alaska: Alaska Time Zone (UTC-09:00) Australia: Multiple time zones, primarily Australian Western, Central, and Eastern Standard Times (UTC+08:00 to +10:00) |
| Economy | Alaska: Largely based on oil and gas, fishing, and tourism Australia: Diverse, with strengths in mining, agriculture, finance, and services |
| GDP (nominal) | Alaska: $55.0 billion (2021) Australia: $1,724 billion (2022 estimate) Australia's GDP is over 30 times higher. |
| GDP per capita | Alaska: $75,352 (2021) Australia: $62,446.4 (2022 estimate) |
| Capital City | Alaska: Juneau Australia: Canberra |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn

How big is Alaska?
Alaska is the largest state in the United States, with a total area of approximately 1,481,348 square kilometres. In comparison, Australia is approximately 7,741,220 square kilometres, making it about 423% larger than Alaska. This means that Alaska is about 19.14% the size of Australia. To put it another way, only two of Australia's six states are bigger than Alaska.
Despite being smaller in size, Alaska has a larger population than Australia, with around 710,231 people compared to Australia's approximate population of 26.1 million. This is due to Alaska's high birth rate and immigration rate, as well as Australia's relatively low population density.
The Mercator projection, which is often used for map comparisons, distorts the size of regions near the poles, making Alaska appear smaller in comparison to Australia than it actually is.
In conclusion, while Alaska is indeed a large state, it is not as big as Australia, which is nearly five times its size. Alaska is comparable in size to the two largest Australian states, offering a sense of the vastness of this US state.
Best Term Deposit Rates in Australia
You may want to see also
Explore related products

How big is Australia?
Australia is approximately 7,741,220 square kilometres, while Alaska is approximately 1,481,348 square kilometres. This makes Australia about four times larger than Alaska, or, to be precise, 4.23 times larger, or 19.14% larger.
To put it another way, Alaska is about 19% the size of Australia. If we consider the population of each location, Australia has around 26.1 million people, while Alaska has approximately 710,231 people. That means there are 25.4 million more people living in Australia than in Alaska.
It is worth noting that some sources suggest that a majority of individual Australian states are larger than Alaska. However, this claim may not consider the Northern Territory as a separate state, as it is technically part of South Australia.
Comparing the size of Australia and Alaska can be tricky due to the Mercator projection, which distorts the size of regions near the poles, and this may impact the accuracy of some comparisons.
Converting 3000 Australian Dollars to Pounds: Is It Worth It?
You may want to see also
Explore related products

Population of Alaska vs Australia
While Alaska is the largest US state by area, it is sparsely populated, with around 740,133 people as of 2024. This population comprises a significant proportion of Indigenous people, at over 15%, the second-highest proportion of any US state.
In contrast, Australia, which is approximately 423% larger than Alaska, has a population of approximately 25.7 million people as of 2021. This population has increased from 3.8 million in 1901, with the urban population growing from 58% in 1911 to 90% in 2021. The population density in Australia is 4 people per square kilometre, with a median age of 38.3 years.
The population of Australia is significantly higher than that of Alaska, with approximately 25 million more people living in Australia. This difference is due to various factors, including Australia's larger land area, higher birth rates, and historical differences in colonisation and migration patterns.
The Indigenous population in Australia, comprising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, also differs in proportion, with a lower percentage compared to Alaska. While the exact percentage varies across sources, it is generally acknowledged that the Indigenous population in Australia is proportionally smaller than in Alaska.
In summary, while Alaska and Australia differ significantly in size, with Australia being much larger, their populations exhibit contrasting characteristics. Alaska has a smaller population with a higher proportion of Indigenous people, while Australia's population is denser, with a higher overall number and a lower proportion of Indigenous citizens.
Australia's Ban on R22 Refrigerant: What You Need to Know
You may want to see also
Explore related products

Mercator projection
The Mercator projection is a conformal cylindrical map projection introduced in 1569 by Flemish geographer and mapmaker Gerardus Mercator. It is a transformation of a cylindrical projection used for navigation.
The Mercator projection is widely used for navigation charts because any straight line on a Mercator projection map is a line of constant true bearing that allows a navigator to plot a straight-line course. It became the standard map projection for navigation in the 18th century due to its property of representing rhumb lines as straight lines.
However, the Mercator projection is less practical for world maps because the scale is distorted; areas farther away from the equator appear disproportionately large. For example, Greenland appears to be greater than South America on a Mercator projection map, whereas in reality, South America is 14 times larger than Greenland. Antarctica also appears far larger than it is relative to landmasses near the equator.
The Mercator projection can be found in many world maps and is widely used today because, aside from marine navigation, it is well-suited for internet web maps. However, modern mapping tools should support accuracy and clarity, and the Mercator projection may skew our understanding of the world.
Australia's R Rating: What's the Deal?
You may want to see also
Explore related products

Australian states bigger than Alaska
Australia is approximately 7,741,220 sq km, while Alaska is approximately 1,481,348 sq km. This makes Australia about 423% larger than Alaska or more than four times its size.
While Australia is a country and Alaska is a state, it is worth noting that only two of the six Australian states are bigger than Alaska. These two states are Western Australia and Queensland. Western Australia covers 2,529,875 sq km, making it almost twice the size of Alaska. Queensland spans 1,852,642 sq km, which is about 123% larger than Alaska.
Additionally, if we consider the Northern Territory as part of South Australia, then this combined area would also be bigger than Alaska. The Northern Territory alone is 1,349,129 sq km, which is slightly smaller than Alaska. However, when combined with South Australia (983,482 sq km), they cover a total area of 2,332,611 sq km, making them collectively larger than Alaska.
Australia's Anti-Terrorism Efforts: Strategies and Challenges
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
No, Australia is about 423% larger than Alaska.
Alaska is approximately 1,481,348 sq km.
Australia is approximately 7,741,220 sq km.
Alaska has a population of around 710,231 people.
Australia has a population of approximately 26.1 million people.
































![Laboratory testing of predictive land-use models: Some comparisons : report of results from NSF-GI-38978 : [final report, DOT P 5010]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71IGP-qbfCL._AC_UY218_.jpg)









![National Geographic Road Atlas 2026: Adventure Edition [United States, Canada, Mexico]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81rRihqWqgL._AC_UL320_.jpg)
