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Greenland vs Antarctica Size: How Much Bigger Is Antarctica?

By SimpleMapLab·Published 15 May 2026·Reviewed against CIA World Factbook + NASA Cryosphere·CC-BY 4.0

Earth's two polar ice giants. Antarctica covers 5,500,000 sq mi (14.2 million km²) — the 5th-largest continent. Greenland covers 836,330 sq mi (2.17 million km²) — the world's largest island. Antarctica is 6.58× larger — six Greenlands fit inside Antarctica. But the ice story is even more lopsided: Antarctica holds 9.14× more ice by volume, and if all polar ice melted, sea level would rise about 65 meters.

Diagram showing 6.58 Greenlands tiled inside Antarctica at true equal-area scale. Antarctica is the world's 5th-largest continent at 5,500,000 sq mi; Greenland is the world's largest island at 836,330 sq mi.6.58 Greenlands fit inside AntarcticaAntarctica 5,500,000 sq mi · Greenland 836,330 sq mi · The polar ice giantsANTARCTICA1234560.58Each shape = 1 Greenlandsimplemaplab.com/size-comparisons/greenland-vs-antarctica · CC-BY 4.0
Six Greenland silhouettes plus a 0.58 partial packed inside Antarctica's outline at true equal-area scale. Antarctica rendered with Polar Azimuthal Equal-Area (centered on the South Pole); Greenland with Conic Equal-Area tuned to its sub-Arctic latitude.
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At a glance: Greenland vs Antarctica by the numbers

MetricAntarcticaGreenlandRatio
Total area (sq mi)5,500,000836,3306.58× AA
Ice volume (km³)26,500,0002,900,0009.14× AA
Ice cover (%)98%81%—
Population (2024)0*56,870—
Highest point (ft)16,050 (Vinson)12,119 (Gunnbjørn)1.32× AA
Coastline (mi)11,16527,3942.45× GL
Continent rank5th-largest continentLargest island—
SovereigntyNone (1959 Treaty)Denmark (autonomous)—

*Antarctica has no permanent residents — only seasonal research staff (1,000–4,000 at any time).

Antarctica vs Greenland by ice mass: a 9× gap

The size difference between Antarctica and Greenland is striking on paper, but the ice volumedifference is even larger. Antarctica's ice sheet contains approximately 26.5 million km³ of ice— about 9.14 times Greenland's 2.9 million km³. Antarctica holds roughly 90% of the world's ice and 70% of its fresh water. Greenland accounts for most of the remaining 10%.

Both ice sheets are losing mass. Greenland: ~270 gigatons/year net loss (NASA average, 2010s–2020s). Antarctica: ~150 gigatons/year, concentrated in West Antarctica and the Antarctic Peninsula. The combined polar contribution to sea level rise has accelerated from about 0.5mm/year in the 1990s to roughly 1.2mm/year today. If all the ice on both landmasses melted, global sea level would rise approximately 65 meters (213 feet) — enough to submerge every coastal city on Earth.

The two giants: islands vs continents

Greenland is officially the world's largest island, with no equivalent in the rankings — the next-largest islands (New Guinea, Borneo, Madagascar) are all about a third Greenland's size. Australia (2.97 million sq mi) is sometimes called a “continental island” but is classified as a continent rather than an island, leaving Greenland as the largest islan d by the standard definition.

Antarctica is the 5th-largest continent, larger than Europe (3.94M sq mi) and Oceania (3.29M sq mi). Unlike every other continent, Antarctica has no nation-states. The 1959 Antarctic Treaty — signed by 56 countries today — bans military activity, mineral mining, and permanent civilian habitation. Scientific research stations (about 70 of them, operated by 30+ countries) house 1,000–4,000 seasonal personnel.

Drawn to scale: Greenland next to Antarctica

Both landmasses at the same area-per-pixel scale, side by side.

Side-by-side equal-area comparison: Antarctica (5,500,000 sq mi) next to Greenland (836,330 sq mi).Antarctica is 6.58× the area of GreenlandAntarctica5,500,000 sq miGreenland836,330 sq mi
Antarctica rendered with Polar Azimuthal Equal-Area centered on the South Pole; Greenland with Conic Equal-Area tuned to its high-Arctic latitudes.

What else is the size of Antarctica?

What else is the size of Greenland?

10 surprising facts about Greenland vs Antarctica

  1. Antarctica is 6.58× Greenland. Six full Greenlands plus a 0.58 partial fit inside Antarctica at true scale.
  2. Antarctica holds 9× more ice by volume. 26.5M km³ vs 2.9M km³ — Antarctica holds 90% of world's ice.
  3. If all polar ice melted, sea level would rise ~65 meters. Antarctica alone contributes ~58m; Greenland ~7m.
  4. Antarctica has 0 permanent residents. The 1959 Antarctic Treaty bans civilian habitation; only ~1,000–4,000 seasonal researchers.
  5. Greenland is the world's largest island. 836,330 sq mi — 2.75× larger than the next-largest island, New Guinea.
  6. Antarctica is the 5th-largest continent. Larger than Europe + Oceania each individually.
  7. Greenland is 81% ice-covered; Antarctica is 98%. Together they hold ~99% of Earth's surface fresh water.
  8. Both have polar peaks above 12,000 ft. Vinson Massif (Antarctica): 16,050 ft. Gunnbjørn Fjeld (Greenland): 12,119 ft.
  9. The Antarctic Treaty has 56 signatories. Including the original 12 (Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Chile, France, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, USSR, UK, USA) signed in 1959.
  10. Greenland was “sold” to Denmark in 1814. Treaty of Kiel transferred Greenland (and Iceland) from Norway to Denmark. The US offered to buy Greenland in 1946 and again in 2019 — both refused.

Methodology and sources

Area: CIA World Factbook 2024 + Wikipedia (Antarctica). Antarctica figure (5.5M sq mi) is the commonly cited approximation; varies 5.4–5.5M depending on whether ice shelves are included.

Ice volume + mass loss: NASA Cryosphere observations + IPCC AR6 reports.

Projections: Antarctica rendered with d3.geoAzimuthalEqualArea (rotate [0, 90]) — Polar Azimuthal Equal-Area centered on the South Pole. Greenland with d3.geoConicEqualArea (rotate 42°, parallels 65/80°N). Both equal-area-preserving. Last reviewed 15 May 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Yes — by 6.58×. Antarctica covers approximately 5,500,000 sq mi (14.2 million km²); Greenland covers 836,330 sq mi (2.17 million km²). Six full Greenlands plus a partial fit inside Antarctica.
Antarctica is 6.58× larger than Greenland by total area — about 4.66 million sq mi (12 million km²) more land. That extra area is bigger than the entire United States (3.8 million sq mi).
Approximately 6.58 — six full Greenlands plus another 0.58 of a Greenland. Visualized as 7 tile silhouettes at true equal-area scale.
Antarctica has 9.14× more ice by volume. Antarctica's ice sheet: ~26.5 million km³. Greenland's ice sheet: ~2.9 million km³. Together they hold ~99% of Earth's surface fresh water.
Approximately 65 meters (213 feet). Antarctica alone would contribute ~58m; Greenland ~7m. If all polar ice melted, every coastal city on Earth would be underwater. Current trajectory: ~1m by 2100 from current melt rates.
Greenland: approximately 56,870 residents (Danish autonomous territory). Antarctica: 0 permanent residents. Antarctica has approximately 1,000–4,000 seasonal scientists and support staff across roughly 70 research stations. The 1959 Antarctic Treaty bans permanent civilian habitation.
Yes. Greenland (836,330 sq mi) is the world's largest island. Australia (2.97 million sq mi) is sometimes called the world's largest island but is officially classified as a continent. The next-largest islands after Greenland are New Guinea (303,381 sq mi), Borneo (288,869 sq mi), and Madagascar (228,000 sq mi) — all far smaller than Greenland.
Yes — Antarctica is the world's 5th-largest continent, after Asia, Africa, North America, and South America. It is larger than Europe and Oceania. Unlike all other continents, Antarctica has no countries (governed by the multilateral 1959 Antarctic Treaty signed by 56 nations).
Antarctica: Vinson Massif at 16,050 ft (4,892 m), located in the Ellsworth Mountains. Greenland: Gunnbjørn Fjeld at 12,119 ft (3,694 m), in eastern Greenland. Vinson is 33% taller than Gunnbjørn, but neither is among the world's 100 tallest peaks — both polar regions are mostly low-elevation ice sheet.
Both polar ice sheets are losing mass. Greenland: ~270 gigatons/year net loss (NASA, 2010s–2020s average). Antarctica: ~150 gigatons/year net loss, mostly West Antarctica. Both have accelerated since the 1990s. Combined contribution to sea level rise: ~1.2mm/year as of 2024, up from ~0.5mm/year in the 1990s.
Theoretically yes, in summer. The longest crossings (Pole of Inaccessibility to coast) are about 2,500–3,000 miles. Multiple expeditions have done it on skis/snowmobiles, taking 60–90 days. Greenland coast-to-coast is roughly 400–600 miles depending on route — Fridtjof Nansen made the first ski crossing in 1888 (490 mi in 49 days).

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Suggested citation: SimpleMapLab (2026). Greenland vs Antarctica Size: How Much Bigger Is Antarctica? Retrieved from https://www.simplemaplab.com/size-comparisons/greenland-vs-antarctica. CC-BY 4.0.