The map above shows California and Europe side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
California vs Europe Geography
Land area: California has a land area of 155,859 square miles (403,673 km²), while Europe has 3,930,520 square miles (10,180,000 km²). Europe's land area is 25.2 times larger than California's.
Length: California is 761 miles (1,224 km) long from north to south; Europe is 3,351 miles (5,393 km). Europe's north-south length is 4.4 times (340%) longer than California's.
Width: California spans 706 miles (1,137 km) east to west; Europe spans 1,741 miles (2,802 km). Europe's east-west width is 2.5 times (147%) wider than California's.
Highest point: California's highest point is Mount Whitney at 14,484 feet (4,415 m); Europe's is Mount Elbrus at 18,510 feet (5,642 m). Mount Elbrus is 4,026 feet higher than Mount Whitney.
Lowest point: California's lowest point is Death Valley at -279 feet; Europe's is Caspian Sea shore at -92 feet. California's lowest point is 187 feet lower.
California vs Europe Population and History
Population: California has a population of 39,431,263 (2024), while Europe has 745,000,000 (2025 UN estimate). Europe's population is 18.9 times larger than California's.
Population density: California: 253.0 people per square mile vs Europe: 189.5. California's population density is 1.3 times (34%) higher than Europe's.
Official Websites
More Size Comparisons
All California size comparisons · All Europe size comparisons
Area, elevation and boundary figures come from official national statistics and US Census Bureau and Natural Earth boundary data; US state population, economic, county and tax figures come from the US Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the Tax Foundation. Figures are rounded and for general reference.