How does Alaska compare with Vermont?
Alaska measures 3,636 km (2,259 mi) east to west, and Vermont measures 254.7 km (158.3 mi) north to south. Alaska is 14.3 times the measured size of Vermont; the gap on its own, 3,381 km (2,101 mi), is 13.3 times Vermont over again. The two are not judged on the same axis: Alaska is quoted as an east-west span and Vermont as a north-south span, so the honest statement is one figure against the other, 7% of it, and not one outline against another. Alaska is written in thousands of kilometres and Vermont in hundreds of kilometres, a whole band of scale apart.
| Object | Real size | Axis measured | What the figure covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 3,636 km 2,259 mi |
East-west span | Widest extent of the outline on that axis |
| Vermont | 254.7 km 158.3 mi |
North-south span | Widest extent of the outline on that axis |
Both figures, Alaska and Vermont, come from the Size It Up measurement set, one real-world size and one measured axis per object, last checked in September 2026; outline provenance is listed on the sources page.
Why this one is hard to judge by eye
Alaska is drawn about 23.2 times as wide as Vermont as well as 14.3 times its measured size, so the area it takes in the frame grows faster than the figure anyone quotes. The outline of Alaska that most people carry comes from a world map, and every projection that keeps angles true stretches whatever sits far from the equator; the outline of Vermont above is scaled from measured distances instead. At 14.3 times, Alaska against Vermont sits past the factor of about five where estimates stop tracking the real ratio and settle into a vague much bigger.
What each figure covers
Alaska. East to west, Alaska reaches across four time zones. The outline includes the Aleutian chain, which is what makes the span so much larger than the compact shape people picture.
Vermont. Vermont is measured north to south. It is one of the smallest American states and the only one in New England without a coastline.
Alaska is quoted as an east-west span and Vermont as a north-south span: two conventions, so the ratio compares the two numbers rather than the two objects.
What else is about that size?
Measured the same way, Alaska at 3,636 km sits within a quarter of Australia at 4,036 km, Mexico at 3,170 km and Brazil at 4,308 km. Vermont at 254.7 km has Armenia at 269.2 km, Wales at 227.4 km and Belize at 290.3 km for company, within a quarter. Swapping any of those in for Alaska would move its ratio to Vermont by less than 25%.