landområde

Landområde is a geographic term used to describe the land portion of a country, region, or other entity. In most statistical contexts it refers to the terrestrial surface excluding inland waters such as lakes and rivers. The land area is typically reported separately from inland water area, and some datasets also distinguish total area, which includes inland waters. Because coastlines and borders change, the measured land area can vary slightly between sources.

Measurement and units are standardized in metric terms as square kilometers (km2), with alternative units such as square miles or hectares used in some publications. National statistical agencies, regional authorities, and international organizations collect and publish land area figures, often alongside complementary measures like total area and water area. Major data providers include United Nations agencies, the World Bank, and the CIA World Factbook, among others. Methodological differences can arise from how borders are defined, how disputed areas are treated, and whether certain inland features are included or excluded.

Uses of land area data include calculating population density (people per km2 of land area), guiding land use planning, agriculture and natural resource management, environmental and climate analyses, and infrastructure development. The concept also supports comparisons of geographic size and spatial planning between regions or countries. The Norwegian term landområde translates to land area or land territory in English, and is used in fields such as geography, demography, and urban planning.