The 10 Largest Countries in the World by Land Area

Size is a strange measure of a country. Russia spans eleven time zones and two continents, yet most of its territory is permafrost. Canada is the second-largest nation on Earth, but 90% of its population lives within 160 kilometres of the US border. Australia is a continent unto itself, but most of its interior is uninhabitable desert. The world's largest countries by land area are defined as much by what they are not as what they are — vast stretches of tundra, steppe, jungle, and desert that shape national identity as surely as any border or capital city.

2026223 viewsPublished Jul 14, 2026 Updated Oct 3, 2026

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#1
Russia
Russia dominates the world's land ranking with a staggering 17.1 million sq km—a territory larger than the entire continent of South America. This sheer size means it spans 11 time zones and borders 14 countries, while containing 20% of the planet's unfelled forests. The country's far-reaching geography also includes over 100,000 rivers and the world's deepest lake, Baikal.
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#2
Canada
Canada covers 10.0 million sq km, making it the world's second-largest nation, though it is 41% smaller than top-ranked Russia. Its exceptional 202,080 km of coastline is the longest on Earth, exceeding the runner-up in coastal length by over 100,000 km. The country is also home to 60% of the world's lakes, adding another layer of natural dominance.
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#3
United States
The country's land supports over 333 million people, and its GDP per capita of $76,000 reflects high economic output per square kilometer. This diversity contributes to its status as a global agricultural powerhouse, producing 36% of the world's corn.
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#4
China
Its territory encompasses deserts, rainforests, plateaux, and steppes, rivaling the physical diversity of the US. This density is concentrated on just 35% habitable land, as the country also contains the world's highest plateau, at 4,500 meters elevation on average.
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#5
Brazil
Brazil dominates as the largest country in the Southern Hemisphere and South America, spanning 8.5 million sq km. Its Amazon basin occupies 60% of the nation, harboring the planet's most extensive tropical biodiversity with over 40,000 plant species. This vast biome alone is larger than all of India's land area by 150%, making Brazil's environmental impact unmatched by any other country on this list.
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#6
Australia
Australia stands as the world's largest country-continent at 7.7 million sq km, with its Outback covering 70% of the land mass. Remarkably, 85% of Australians cluster in coastal urban centers, leaving the ancient, parched interior nearly empty. Australia's population density of just 3 people per sq km is 1,400 times sparser than India's, highlighting a stark contrast between these two large nations.
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#7
India
India's 3.3 million sq km places it seventh-largest globally, but its 1.4 billion residents make it the most densely populated major nation, with over 460 people per sq km. This population exceeds the entire Western Hemisphere combined, and its agricultural output supports 18% of the world's people on just 2.4% of the land area — a feat that outperforms #7 Argentina's crop capacity by a factor of ten.
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#8
Argentina
Argentina's 2.8 million sq km stretches nearly 3,700 km from tropical jungles in the north to sub-Antarctic Patagonian steppe in the south, ranking it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil. Its Iguazú Falls alone, spanning 2.7 km, is 30% wider than the typical rival waterfall in the region, showcasing the country's extraordinary geographic range and biodiversity across 15 distinct ecoregions.
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#9
Kazakhstan
Once the hub of the Soviet space program at Baikonur Cosmodrome, it now serves as a critical corridor on the New Silk Road, with over 2,000 km of railway linking China to Europe. This strategic position and resource wealth make Kazakhstan a quiet giant of transcontinental trade.
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#10
Algeria
Algeria stands as Africa's largest nation at 2.4 million sq km, with over 80% of its land swallowed by the Sahara Desert—a stark contrast to its 1,200 km of Mediterranean coastline where 40 million people are densely packed. The narrow coastal strip, home to 90% of citizens, showcases a vibrant culture, while the vast desert holds ancient rock art dating back 10,000 years, evidence of a once-greener Sahara. This blend of arid expanse and urban vitality cements Algeria's unique role as Africa's gateway.
source: wikidataSearch on Amazon →

<h2>Frequently Asked Questions About the World's Largest Countries</h2>

### Q: What is the largest country in the world by land area? A: Russia is the largest country in the world by land area, covering over 17 million square kilometers, spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia.

### Q: Which continent has the most large countries? A: Asia and North America both feature prominently among the world's largest countries. Russia spans both Europe and Asia, while Canada and the United States are the two largest countries in North America.

### Q: Why is 'land area' specified instead of just 'area'? A: Specifying 'land area' distinguishes it from 'total area,' which might include internal waters (like lakes and rivers). This list focuses solely on the terrestrial expanse of each nation.

Frequently Asked Questions About the World's Largest Countries

## Frequently Asked Questions About the World's Largest Countries

### Which is the largest country in the world by land area? Russia is the largest country in the world by land area, covering about 17.1 million square kilometres — roughly twice the size of Canada, the second-largest.

### Which is the largest country in the Southern Hemisphere? Brazil is the largest country in the Southern Hemisphere, with about 8.5 million square kilometres of land, and the largest country in South America.

### Which is the largest country on the African continent? Algeria is the largest country in Africa, with about 2.4 million square kilometres of land, most of which is covered by the Sahara Desert.

### Is Australia a country or a continent? Australia is both. It is the world's largest country-continent at roughly 7.7 million square kilometres, and also the only country that is also a continent.

### How many of the ten largest countries are in Asia? Three of the ten largest countries by land area are located in Asia: Russia (the Asian portion), China, and India.

Image credits

United States: Terabass / Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Australia: Australia satellite plane.jpg / Wikimedia Commons
Kazakhstan: Dmitry A. Mottl / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Frequently asked questions

What are the 10 largest countries in the world by land area?

The ten largest countries by land area are Russia, Canada, the United States, China, Brazil, Australia, India, Argentina, Kazakhstan, and Algeria.

Which country has the largest land area in the world?

Russia is the largest country by land area, covering approximately 16.4 million square kilometers (about 6.3 million square miles).

Does the ranking of the largest countries by land area differ from total area?

Yes, because total area includes inland water bodies. For example, the United States ranks third in land area but fourth in total area when including the Great Lakes.

How large is Canada compared to the United States in land area?

Canada is larger than the United States by land area, with about 9.1 million square kilometers versus the U.S.'s 9.1 million square kilometers, though the U.S. has a slightly larger total area when water is included.

Is China’s land area larger than the United States?

No, the United States has a larger land area than China. China’s land area is about 9.4 million square kilometers, while the U.S. has about 9.1 million square kilometers, but U.S. land area is larger when excluding territories and counting only the 50 states.

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