The map above shows North Carolina and Japan side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
North Carolina vs Japan Geography
Land area: North Carolina has a land area of 48,624 square miles (125,936 km²), while Japan has 140,752 square miles (364,546 km²). Japan's land area is 2.9 times (189%) larger than North Carolina's.
Total area: North Carolina: 53,819 square miles (139,390 km²) vs Japan: 145,937 square miles (377,975 km²), including inland and coastal water. Japan's total area is 2.7 times (171%) larger than North Carolina's.
Length: North Carolina is 258 miles (415 km) long from north to south; Japan is 1,557 miles (2,505 km). Japan's north-south length is 6.0 times (503%) longer than North Carolina's.
Width: North Carolina spans 487 miles (784 km) east to west; Japan spans 1,568 miles (2,524 km). Japan's east-west width is 3.2 times (222%) wider than North Carolina's.
Highest point: North Carolina's highest point is Mount Mitchell at 6,674 feet (2,034 m); Japan's is Mount Fuji at 12,388 feet (3,776 m). Mount Fuji is 5,714 feet higher than Mount Mitchell.
Lowest point: North Carolina's lowest point is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet; Japan's is Hachirogata at -13 feet. Japan's lowest point is 13 feet lower.
North Carolina vs Japan Population and History
Population: North Carolina has a population of 11,046,024 (2024), while Japan has 122,680,000 (2026). Japan's population is 11.1 times larger than North Carolina's.
Population density: North Carolina: 227.2 people per square mile vs Japan: 871.6. Japan's population density is 3.8 times (284%) higher than North Carolina's.
Biggest city: North Carolina's biggest city is Charlotte with 943,476 people; Japan's is Tokyo with 13,515,271. Tokyo's population is 14.3 times larger than Charlotte's.
Largest metro area: North Carolina's largest metropolitan area is Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area (2,883,370 people) vs Japan's Tokyo (33,412,512). Tokyo's population is 11.6 times larger than Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area's.
History: North Carolina: Admitted to the Union on November 21, 1789, as the 12th state. Japan: An independent state for over two millennia; the current constitution dates from 1947. In its current form, Japan is the older of the two by 1,129 years.
North Carolina vs Japan Economy
GDP: North Carolina's GDP is $844.2 billion (2024) vs Japan's $4,435.2 billion. Japan's economic output is 5.3 times (425%) larger than North Carolina's.
GDP per capita: North Carolina: $76,427 per person vs Japan: $35,951. North Carolina's GDP per capita is 2.1 times (113%) higher than Japan's.
Average income: North Carolina: $65,634 vs Japan: $38,340 average income per person (per capita personal income). North Carolina's average income is 1.7 times (71%) higher than Japan's.
Official Websites
North Carolina official website · Japan official website
More Size Comparisons
All North Carolina size comparisons · All Japan 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.