How Big Is Cuba? Compare Its Size in Miles, Acres, Kilometers, and More!

Cuba
© Victor Maschek/Shutterstock.com

Written by Colby Maxwell

Published: July 26, 2023

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Cuba is one of the largest islands near the United States and exerts a large cultural influence on the region, but just how large is it? Today, we will rank the island according to its size in miles, acres, kilometers, and more, plus look at some comparisons to help understand its size in relation to other states and countries around the world. Let’s discover: How Big is Cuba?

How Big Is Cuba in Square Miles (and KM)?

Total Area of CubaMeasurments
Total Land Area by Square Miles42,426 square miles
Area Including Territorial Waters by Square Miles42,803 square miles
Total Land Area By Acre27,152,640 acres
By Football Field27 million football fields
By Tennis Courts108 million tennis courts
As a Percentage of the United States1.12%
As Ranked Globally104th out of 233

Cuba has a land area of 42,426 sq miles or 109,884 km2. Including territorial waters, it is slightly larger at 42,803 square miles or 110,860 km2.

Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean and the 104th largest country in the world by land area. If we include the coastal and territorial waters, its total area increases to 42,803 square miles, or 110,860 km2, which is roughly comparable to the size of Virginia.

How Big Is Cuba in Acres?

Cuba relief map

The country measures 27,393,920 acres.

©bogdanserban/ via Getty Images

One acre is a unit of area that is equal to 4,840 square yards or 43,560 square feet. To convert from square miles to acres, we can multiply by 640. Using this conversion factor, we can find out how big the country is in acres. Cuba’s land area of 42,426 square miles is equivalent to 27,152,640 acres. Cuba’s total area of 42,803 square miles is equivalent to 27,393,920 acres.

For some comparison, a single acre is roughly the size of a football field (without the end zones) or an average-sized house with a front and backyard in the U.S. Cuba’s land area is equivalent to about 27,159,263 acres. That means it’s about as big as 27 million football fields or soccer fields or 108 million tennis courts.

How Big Is Cuba Compared to the United States?

Cuba

Cuba is a South American floral hotspot teeming with unusual and beautiful plant life.

©Victor Maschek/Shutterstock.com

Cuba is a relatively small country compared to the United States, one of the largest countries in the world by land area.

Cuba has a land area of 42,426 sq miles, while the United States has a land area of 3.797 million sq miles. Therefore, that means Cuba’s land area is only about 1.12% of the United States’ land area. If Cuba were a state in the United States, it would rank as number 36, between Virginia (42,774 sq miles) and Tennessee (42,144 sq miles).

Cuba could fit within a larger state such as Texas, which has a land area of 268,597 sq miles, pretty easily. In fact, Alaska (665,384 sq miles) is 15.6x larger than Cuba, and that’s only one state!

How Big Is Cuba Compared to Similiar Countries?

Cuban flag

The island ranks 104th out of 233 countries according to total land area.

©Giongi63/Shutterstock.com

Cuba is a medium-sized country when compared to other countries in the world. Cuba has a total area of 42,803 sq miles; this ranks it 104th out of 233 countries and territories by total area.

For reference, the 105th largest country in the world is Guatemala, with a land area of 42,042 sq miles. Above it is Bulgaria, with a total land area of 42,858 sq miles, placing it as the 103rd largest country in the world.

In the Caribbean, Cuba is the largest island and, subsequently, the largest country in the region. The second largest country in the Caribbean is the Dominican Republic, which is around half as large as Cuba. Together, Haiti and the Dominican Republic make up the island of Hispaniola, which is closer to the size of Cuba, sitting at around 29,418 square miles.

Cuba by Population Density

Crowd of anonymous people walking on busy New York City street

The nation has a slightly higher population density than the world average, but when compared to the other Latin American and Caribbean countries, it’s a little lower than average.

©blvdone/Shutterstock.com

Population density is a measure of how crowded a country or a region is. You calculate it by dividing the population by the area. Cuba has a population of about 11.2 million people and a total area of 42,803 square mi. Therefore, the population density is about 263.9 people per square mile (or 101.9 people per square kilometer).

This means that Cuba is more densely populated than the world average of 52 people per square kilometer, but, less densely populated than the Latin America and Caribbean average of 32 people per square kilometer.


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About the Author

Colby is a writer at A-Z Animals primarily covering outdoors, unique animal stories, and science news. Colby has been writing about science news and animals for five years and holds a bachelor's degree from SEU. A resident of NYC, you can find him camping, exploring, and telling everyone about what birds he saw at his local birdfeeder.

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