RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Virginia spans over 42,000 square miles of both land and water, making it the 37th largest state by area. But how does the state measure up to other states and countries?
According to Census data, Virginia has a land area of 39,471.7 square miles and a water area of 3,291.8 square miles. Kentucky is the next closest state in land area with 39,480.9 square miles.
Census data shows that the total population of the state is about 8.6 million, and according to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, that places Virginia as the 12th most populated state in the U.S., below New Jersey in 11th place at a population of about 9.2 million.
Virginia’s land mass is comparable to that of Bulgaria, which spans about 42,855 square miles, and is just shy of the land mass of Honduras, which spans about 43,433 square miles.
Bulgaria’s population is about 6.8 billion, roughly 1.8 million less than Virginia, according to the Central Intelligence Agency. Honduras’ population, however, is larger than Virginia’s, at a staggering 9.5 million.
