How Big is Turkey Compared to the US? A Detailed Look at the Massive Size Differences

Turkey and the United States are both large countries, but when it comes to total land area, the US dwarfs Turkey in size. With the US spanning over 9.63 million square kilometers while Turkey sits at just 783560 square kilometers the United States is nearly 12 times larger than Turkey in total land mass.

Let’s take a deeper look at the size comparisons between the two countries

Total Land Area

  • The total land area of the United States is 9.63 million square kilometers, making it the 3rd largest country in the world by land area.
  • Turkey has a total land area of 783,560 square kilometers, ranking it 35th in the world by size.
  • To put it simply, the United States is massive compared to Turkey in terms of total land area. The US is roughly 12 times larger than Turkey when it comes to total square kilometers.

Highest Points

  • The highest point in Turkey is Mount Ararat at 5,166 meters. Mount Ararat is located in the far east of Turkey along the borders with Armenia and Iran.
  • The highest point in the continental United States is Mount McKinley (also called Denali) in Alaska at 6,194 meters. This makes Mount McKinley the highest point in all of North America.
  • So while Turkey’s tallest mountain is impressive, the highest peak in the US soars over a kilometer higher than Mount Ararat.

Land Usage

  • 26.21% of Turkey’s total land area is considered arable land suitable for farming. This gives Turkey a relatively high percentage of arable land compared to some other countries.
  • The United States has 16.29% arable land, putting it significantly lower than Turkey in terms of land conducive to agriculture.
  • Turkey’s terrain and climate allow for more land that can be used for farming crops than the US.

Geographic Diversity

  • Turkey has diverse landscapes ranging from rugged mountains to expansive central steppes to coastal plains. The variety of geographic zones contributes to Turkey’s ecological diversity.
  • The United States has even more geographic diversity than Turkey, with landscapes including tropical rainforests, enormous mountain ranges, sprawling prairie plains, swamplands, deserts, temperate forests, and more.
  • The sheer size of the United States allows it to contain a wider variety of geographic features and ecosystems.

Populations

  • Turkey has a population of about 84 million people as of 2020, making it the 19th most populous country.
  • With around 331 million people, the United States is the third most populous country behind only China and India.
  • So while Turkey has a substantial population, the US population is nearly 4 times larger.

Population Density

  • Turkey has a population density of about 104 people per square kilometer.
  • The United States has a population density of just 35 people per square kilometer, making it far less densely populated than Turkey.
  • Turkey packs more people per square kilometer due to its smaller size. The US has vast unpopulated areas that reduce its overall population density.

Economies

  • Turkey has the 19th largest economy in the world based on GDP. In 2019, Turkey’s GDP was $754 billion.
  • The United States has the largest economy on earth with a GDP of $21.4 trillion in 2019.
  • Though Turkey maintains a sizeable economy, the US economy is absolutely massive compared to Turkey’s.

Military Strength

  • Turkey has an active military force of about 355,000 personnel, making it the 9th strongest military power in the world.
  • With 1.3 million active personnel, the United States has by far the most powerful military force on the planet.
  • The US military budget of $732 billion also dwarfs Turkey’s $19 billion budget. America’s enormous population and economic advantage allow it to wield vastly superior military strength compared to Turkey.

While Turkey is certainly large in its own right, it is utterly dwarfed both geographically and economically by the far larger United States. From total land area, to population, to economies, the United States is vastly larger and more powerful than Turkey. But despite the size differences, both countries play important roles on the world stage economically, militarily, and diplomatically. The two nations also share a long history as military and economic partners. So while they may differ greatly in scale, the US and Turkey remain strategically intertwined.

how big is turkey compared to the us

If Turkey were your home instead of The United States you would…

The life expectancy at birth in Turkey is 73.29 while in The United States it is 79.56.

This entry contains the average number of years to be lived by a group of people born in the same year, if mortality at each age remains constant in the future. The entry includes total population as well as the male and female components. Life expectancy at birth is also a measure of overall quality of life in a country and summarizes the mortality at all ages. It can also be thought of as indicating the potential return on investment in human capital and is necessary for the calculation of various actuarial measures. Source: CIA World Factbook

Turkey has an unemployment rate of 10.00% while The United States has 6.20%

This entry contains the percent of the labor force that is without jobs. Source: CIA World Factbook

The number of deaths of infants under one year old in a given year per 1,000 live births in Turkey is 21.43 while in The United States it is 6.17.

This entry gives the number of deaths of infants under one year old in a given year per 1,000 live births in the same year; included is the total death rate, and deaths by sex, male and female. This rate is often used as an indicator of the level of health in a country. Source: CIA World Factbook

The GDP per capita in Turkey is $15,300 while in The United States it is $52,800

This entry shows GDP on a purchasing power parity basis divided by population as of 1 July for the same year. A nations GDP at purchasing power parity (PPP) exchange rates is the sum value of all goods and services produced in the country valued at prices prevailing in the United States. This is the measure most economists prefer when looking at per-capita welfare and when comparing living conditions or use of resources across countries. The measure is difficult to compute, as a US dollar value has to be assigned to all goods and services in the country regardless of whether these goods and services have a direct equivalent in the United States (for example, the value of an ox-cart or non-US military equipment); as a result, PPP estimates for some countries are based on a small and sometimes different set of goods and services. In addition, many countries do not formally participate in the World Banks PPP project that calculates these measures, so the resulting GDP estimates for these countries may lack precision. For many developing countries, PPP-based GDP measures are multiples of the official exchange rate (OER) measure. The differences between the OER- and PPP-denominated GDP values for most of the wealthy industrialized countries are generally much smaller. Source: CIA World Factbook

Per capita public and private health expenditures combined in Turkey are $664.60 USD while The United States spends $8,895.10 USD

This entry contains the per capita public and private health expenditure at purchase power parity using US Dollars. This figure combines government, personal, and employer spending on health care Source: World Health Organization

The United States consumes 2.4822 gallons of oil per day per capita while Turkey consumes 0.3654

This entry is the total oil consumed in gallons per day (gal/day) divided by the population. The discrepancy between the amount of oil produced and/or imported and the amount consumed and/or exported is due to the omission of stock changes, refinery gains, and other complicating factors. Source: CIA World Factbook

The per capita consumption of electricity in The United States is 12,185kWh while in Turkey it is 2,087kWh

This entry consists of total electricity generated annually plus imports and minus exports, expressed in kilowatt-hours. The discrepancy between the amount of electricity generated and/or imported and the amount consumed and/or exported is accounted for as loss in transmission and distribution. Source: CIA World Factbook

212 in every 100,000 people are currently imprisoned in Turkey compared to 698 in The United States

This entry contains the number of people in penal institutions, including pre-trial detainees. Comparability is hampered by differences in local practice, including whether psychiatrically ill offenders are under the authority of the prison administration. People held in a form of custody not under the authority of a prison administration are not included in this figure. Source: International Centre for Prison Studies

Employed persons in Turkey work an average of 1832 hours each year while persons in The United States work an average of 1788 hours

This entry contains the total number of hours worked over the year for the average employed person Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

The percentage of adults living with HIV/AIDS in Turkey is 0.10% while in The United States it is 0.60%. 200 people in Turkey and 17,000 people in The United States die from AIDS each year.

This entry gives an estimate of the percentage of adults (aged 15-49) living with HIV/AIDS. The adult prevalence rate is calculated by dividing the estimated number of adults living with HIV/AIDS at yearend by the total adult population at yearend. Source: CIA World Factbook

The GINI index measures the degree of inequality in the distribution of family income. In Turkey it is 40.20 while in The United States it is 45.00.

This index measures the degree of inequality in the distribution of family income in a country. The index is calculated from the Lorenz curve, in which cumulative family income is plotted against the number of families arranged from the poorest to the richest. The index is the ratio of (a) the area between a countrys Lorenz curve and the 45 degree helping line to (b) the entire triangular area under the 45 degree line. The more nearly equal a countrys income distribution, the closer its Lorenz curve to the 45 degree line and the lower its Gini index, e.g., a Scandinavian country with an index of 25. The more unequal a countrys income distribution, the farther its Lorenz curve from the 45 degree line and the higher its Gini index, e.g., a Sub-Saharan country with an index of 50. If income were distributed with perfect equality, the Lorenz curve would coincide with the 45 degree line and the index would be zero; if income were distributed with perfect inequality, the Lorenz curve would coincide with the horizontal axis and the right vertical axis and the index would be 100. Source: CIA World Factbook

4.30 in every 100,000 people are murdered annually in Turkey compared to 3.80 in The United States

This entry contains the number of victims of an unlawful death purposefully inflicted on a person by another person. Data is originally sourced from either criminal justice or public health systems. Source: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

The annual number of births per 1,000 people in Turkey is 16.86 while in The United States it is 13.42.

This entry gives the average annual number of births during a year per 1,000 persons in the population at midyear; also known as crude birth rate. The birth rate is usually the dominant factor in determining the rate of population growth. It depends on both the level of fertility and the age structure of the population. Source: CIA World Factbook

USA vs Turkey Country Comparison | Country Comparison 2022

FAQ

What state is Turkey the size of?

Turkey is surrounded on three sides by the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Aegean Sea. Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey, is built on land in the Bosporus seaway. The city is partly in Europe and partly in Asia. Turkey is larger than the state of Texas.

Which is bigger California or Turkey?

The land area of Türkiye is about 85% larger than the size of California. California is a state in the US, in North America, with a coastline on the Pacific Ocean. Türkiye is a nation that is partly in Europe (Balkan Peninsula) and partly in Asia (Anatolian Peninsula).

Is Alaska bigger than Turkey?

Other countries that Alaska is bigger than include: Germany (134,580 square miles) Spain (192,588 square miles) Turkey (297,156 square miles)

Is Turkey bigger than Europe?

Turkey is situated at the crossroads of the Balkans, Caucasus, Middle East, and eastern Mediterranean. It is among the larger countries of the region in terms of territory and population, and its land area is greater than that of any European state.

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