In this article, you will learn about the size of Australia and how it compares to the size of the USA.
I have gathered some information that compares the size of both countries in multiple categories to show you how the countries compare to each other.
Area – square miles
Australia is approximately 178,000 square miles smaller than the USA in terms of area.
Australia – 2,941,300 square miles
USA – 3,119,884 square miles
Only 1.63% of Australia is considered to be water and 7% of the USA is covered in water.
Population
According to UN data in 2020, the population in Australia was 25,499,894 which ranks 53rd in the world rankings. The USA population was 331,002,651 which ranks 3rd behind India and China in total population.
Gross Domestic Product – GDP
GDP is the total market value of all final goods and services produced within a country in a given period. In 2019, the GDP for Australia was 1.397 Trillion dollars. The GDP per capita was $55,060.
In 2020, the GDP for the USA was 21.43 Trillion dollars. The GDP per capita was $65,297.
Islands
Australia has 8222 total islands with the largest being Tasmania which is 65,022 square kilometers in size.
The USA has 18,617 total islands with the state of Alaska having over 2600 of them. Hawaii is the largest island which is 10,414 square kilometers in size.
Cites
There are 8 major cities in Australia with Sydney being the largest in terms of population with just over 5 million people. There are over 19,000 cities and towns in the USA with over 16,000 of them having less than 10,000 people.
There are 10 major cities in the USA that have a population of over 1 million. The largest city in terms of population is New York City with over 8 million people.
Airports
Australia has 175 airports that are for commercial use and 13 of those are for international travel. The largest airport in Australia is the Sydney International airport which serves 47 different airlines that travel to over 85 destinations.
The USA has over 500 airports that are used for commercial use and over 150 of those are used for international travel. The largest airport in terms of size is Denver International which covers an area of over 135 square kilometers. In terms of traffic, the Hartsfield-Jackson International airport in Atlanta is the largest with over 100 million passengers traveling through there every year.
Highways
Australia is home to the second-largest highway in the world. Highway #1 is over 14,500 kilometers long and stretches around the full circumference of the country.
Pan American Highway ranks first with a length of over 48,000 kilometers.
The longest highway in the USA is Route 20 that runs east-west across the country and is 5415 kilometers long.
Rivers
In Australia, there are 439 named rivers with the longest being the Murray River which is 2,375 kilometers long. The USA has over 250,000 rivers with the longest being the Missouri River which is 3768 kilometers long.
Lakes
There are over 11,000 lakes in Australia with the largest being Lake Eyre which is over 9,500 square kilometers in size.
The USA has over 102,000 lakes which ranks #3 in the world behind Russia and Canada. The largest lake in the USA is Lake Superior which is over 82,000 square kilometers in size. Lake Superior is also known to be the largest lake in the world.
Military
The Australian military ranks #19 in the world and consists of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), and many tri-service units. There is over 59,000 active personnel.
When it comes to the military, the USA ranks #1 in many different categories. The military consists of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. There are around 1.3 million troops with almost 900,000 in reserve.
Universities
There are currently 43 Universities in Australia. The Australian National University is considered to be the best university in the country and ranks #31 in the world. Over 23,500 students are enrolled each year which ranks #28 in the country. Monash University is #1 with over 73,000 students.
There are over 5,300 universities in the USA. According to the world university rankings, Harvard University is ranked #1 in the world in terms of teaching, research, international diversity, and financial sustainability. There are over 31,600 students enrolled.
Hospitals
According to Statista.com, there are 696 public hospitals across Australia. The Westmead Hospital is the largest hospital located in Sydney and has 975 beds to serve a population of over 1.85 million people.
The USA has over 6,100 hospitals with the New York-Presbyterian hospital being the largest in terms of the number of beds with 2,678.
Golf courses
Some of the best golf courses in the world are in both Australia and the USA. Australia has over 1,500 golf courses and Royal Melbourne West is considered to be the best course in the country and has been played by the best golf players in the world.
Per capita, Australia has 11,063 people per course.
There are currently over 16,000 golf courses in the USA with Pine Valley being considered the best course to play in the country.
Per capita, the USA has 18,514 people per course.
