List of Largest Country in the World 2024, Name and Area

The vastness of the Earth’s geography is best understood by examining the largest countries by total area. Russia, the world’s largest country, spans 17,098,242 km², with a land area of 16,376,870 km², accounting for 11% of the world’s landmass. Despite their size, countries like Russia and Canada face climatic and topographical extremes, making large areas uninhabitable. This list of Largest Country in the World, 2024 offers valuable insights for UPSC aspirants.

Largest Country in the World 2024

The Earth’s surface area is 510,072,000 km². Compared to other planets, Earth is nearly twice the size of Mars and slightly larger than Venus. The planet’s land covers 29.2% of its surface (149 million km²), while oceans make up the remaining 70.8%.

Russia remains the world’s largest country by total area and land area. Despite its size, vast regions of Russia and Canada are sparsely populated due to extreme climatic conditions. Vatican City, located within Rome, Italy, is one of the world’s smallest countries, alongside Monaco and Nauru.

Largest Country in the World by Area

Russia is one of the world’s largest countries, covering approximately 17,098,242 km² in total area and 16,376,870 km² of land, which constitutes around 11% of the world’s landmass. In contrast, Vatican City, an enclave within Rome, Italy, is one of the world’s smallest countries.

The world’s geographical boundaries are continually shifting, with only 29% of the Earth’s surface covered by land. Out of the 198 countries occupying this land, the ten largest—Russia, Canada, China, the United States, Brazil, Australia, India, Argentina, Kazakhstan, and Algeria—account for up to 55% of the Earth’s land area. Among these, Russia is the largest, covering 11% of the global land area.

Top 10 Largest Country in the World

Russia

Russia has the world’s largest land area (17,098,250 km2). It is a huge territory that encircles the northern hemisphere halfway and includes much of eastern and northeastern Europe as well as all of North Asia. Russia is so huge (17,098,250 km2) that it crosses nine time zones. Russia is the world’s largest country, containing 11 time zones and bordering sixteen separate states. With 145 million people, it is the world’s tenth most populous country and possibly the most populous European country.

Moscow, the country’s capital and largest metropolitan area, is the most populous city in Europe. Saint Petersburg, Russia’s largest city and second-largest metropolitan area, is the country’s second-largest city. Siberia, Yekaterinburg, Gorky Novgorod, and Kazan are also prominent cities.

Canada

Canada is the world’s second-largest country, with a land area of 9,879,750 km2, Without its lakes, Canada would be shorter than the United States. From the Atlantic to the Pacific coasts, Canada is roughly 8,850 kilometers (5,500 miles) wide. From the Atlantic to the Pacific coasts, Canada was only 3 to 3.5 kilometers (5,500 miles) broad.

The country’s southern and western borders with the United States are the longest binational land borders in the world, totaling 8,891 kilometers (5,525 miles). Ottawa is the country’s capital, and its three largest cities are Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.

United States

The United States is the world’s third-largest country, and it ranks third in terms of land area. Here are some of the world’s best lakes, deepest valleys, massive rivers, and most densely populated communities. New York is the US capital, housed in a complex designed by a group of architects led by Wallace Harrison and developed by the architectural company Harrison & Abramovitz, with final assignments by Oscar Niemeyer and Le Corbusier.

China

China is the world’s fourth largest country in terms of land area, with 9,600,013 km in area. It has the most people on the planet, with approximately 1.357 billion people as of February 2016. China is in the same time zone as the rest of the world, despite its size. It is the most populous country, with over 2 billion people. China has 14 borders and five time zones, the second most of any country in the world behind Russia. With a total area of 9.6 million square meters (3,700,000 square miles), it is the world’s third-largest country.

Brazil

Brazil is the largest country in South America and in Latin America. Brazil is the seventh-most populous nation in the world and the fifth-largest country by area. the most populated city is So Paulo, and the capital is Brasilia. The Federal District and the union of the 26 states make up the federation.

Australia

Australia is the sixth-largest nation in the world by land area. Australia is referred to as the “island continent” because to its vastness and isolation from the rest of the world. Despite being enormous, only 22.6 million people call it home.

India

India is the seventh-largest country in the world by land area and neighbours Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, China, Bhutan, and Pakistan. India spans 2,933 km (1,822 miles) in the south and 3,214 km (1,997 miles) in the north. It does have a 15,200 kilometer (9,445 mile) land border and a 7,516.6 kilometer (4,671 mile) coastline. The Indian Ocean, which encompasses the Arabian Sea on the west, the Lakshadweep Sea on the southwest, the Bay of Bengal on the eastern side, and the Indian Ocean itself, flanks India on its southern side.

Argentina

Argentina is a nation in South America’s southern region. With a total land area of 2,780,400 km2, Argentina is the fourth-largest nation in the Americas, the second-largest in South America, and the eighth-largest country in the entire world.

Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan, or the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked nation that spans two continents. It is primarily located in Central Asia and a small portion of it is in Eastern Europe. With a Caspian Sea coastline, it shares borders with Turkmenistan to the southwest, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbekistan to the south, and Russia to the north and west.

Algeria

With an area of 2,381,741 square kilometers, Algeria is the largest country in Africa and the tenth largest country in the world overall. It is more than 200 times bigger than The Gambia, which is the smallest nation on the continent. With 44 million people, Algeria is the 32nd-most populous nation in the world and the tenth-most populous nation in Africa. Algiers, which is in the extreme north along the Mediterranean coast, is the country’s capital and largest city.

List of Largest Country in the World 2024 

Countries vary greatly in size, with some being relatively small and others sprawling across vast areas. The ten largest countries by total area are Russia, Canada, China, the United States, Brazil, Australia, India, Argentina, Kazakhstan, and Algeria. These countries collectively cover more than 55% of the Earth’s land area. Notably, Russia, the largest among them, accounts for approximately 11% of the world’s total land area.

Many of the largest countries are situated in the Northern Hemisphere. This is often due to geographical, climatic, and historical factors. For instance, Russia and Canada are located in the far north, where expansive terrains and harsh climates have kept their populations relatively low. Similarly, China, India, and the United States, all large in both size and population, are also positioned in the Northern Hemisphere.

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