TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - There are multiple different ways to measure which country is the largest, from the size of its territory to the number of people who inhabit it. While there are nearly 200 recognized nations in the world, one stands out as the country with the largest land area, and that's Russia.
To understand the sheer size of Russia, one must understand the gap between it and the next largest country. According to Britannica, Russia occupies a total area of 6,592,846 square miles, equal to 17,075,400 square km (though World Bank data cites 16,376,870 square km). This is nearly half of China, the next-largest country on record, with 3,624,807 square miles.
Russia alone accounts for 12.6 percent of the global land area, with territory spanning across northern Asia and the eastern third of Europe. Roughly 77 percent of Russian territory lies in Asia, but most of its 142-million population resides in the European portion of the country, especially in the capital, Moscow, and St. Petersburg, its cultural hub.
This is mainly due to the harsh climates in Russia's North and Far East regions, making the population density geared toward the southern parts of the country, where more urban areas are established. In fact, World Bank data citing 2015 records noted that Russia has far less urban land area, with 52,887 square km, compared to China, the world's second most populous country, with 522,345 square km.
Russia spans 11 time zones, and is home to the world's deepest lake, Baikal, as well as Europe's largest lake, Ladoga, and longest river, the Volga.
Top 10 Largest Countries by Land Area
Joining Russia and China, the five largest countries in the world account for about 40 percent of the global land area. These countries are the United States, Canada, and Brazil.
The US and Canada notably span over 6.9 million square miles of land, Visual Capitalist reported, while Brazil takes up nearly half of South America.
Meanwhile, the top 10 list of the world's largest countries by land area, citing Visual Capitalist, is as follows:
1. Russia - 6,323,142 square miles (12.6 percent of global land share)
2. China - 3,624,807 square miles (7.2 percent of global land share)
3. The US - 3,531,837 square miles (7.0 percent of global land share)
4. Canada - 3,393,335 square miles (6.8 percent of global land share)
5. Brazil - 3,227,095 square miles (6.4 percent of global land share)
6. Australia - 2,969,904 square miles (5.9 percent of global land share)
7. India - 1,147,955 square miles (2.3 percent of global land share)
8. Argentina - 1,056,641 square miles (2.1 percent of global land share)
9. Kazakhstan - 1,042,360 square miles (2.1 percent of global land share)
10. Algeria - 919,595 square miles (1.8 percent of global land share)
As noted before, the gap between each country's land area could be steep. Not only between Russia and China, but Australia, ranked sixth, is nearly three times the size of India, the next largest country after it.
Indonesia, meanwhile, as an archipelago, escapes the top 10 list by placing 14th, with 750,563 square miles of land. Despite this, Indonesia ranked as the fourth most populous country in the world, just behind India, China, and the US.
At the end of the land area spectrum is Vatican City, the world's smallest country, which covers just 0.17 square miles, according to Britannica.
Read: The 15 Countries With the Most Forest in 2025, Ranked
Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
