Top 10 largest countries in the world
Only thirty percent of the area of our planet is land – 149 million square meters, and the rest is the ocean. Interestingly, half of this territory is occupied by giant countries. There are about two hundred countries in the world.
We have collected the top 10 largest countries and sorted them by area and population. Guess who comes first?
The ranking of the largest countries in 2020-2021 looks like this:
10 largest countries in the world by area
The undisputed leader of our rating, the largest country in the world in terms of area, is the Russian Federation .
Territory of Russia 17 125 191 sq. km , which is comparable to the area of the planet Pluto. In terms of population, it is only in ninth position.
For 2018, 146,880,432 people live in Russia. The average population density in the Russian Federation is 8.58 people per sq. Km. The Russian Federation occupies a third of the continent of Eurasia: 77% of its territory lies in Asia, and 23% in Europe. It borders on 18 countries, is washed by 12 seas, there are more than a hundred rivers and about two million fresh and salt lakes. The territory of the state stretches for 61 thousand km. and passes through 11 world time zones. Canada
Canada ranks second in the top of the largest countries . She is almost half the size of the leader. The area of the state is 9 976 139 sq. km . It has the longest coastline in the world, 202,080 km. But the population density in Canada is low – 4.03 per 1 km. sq. Canada is in 37th place in the list of countries in terms of population. Almost 90% of the population is located in a small part of the country, near the border with the United States. The reason for this is the harsh climate and natural conditions.
China closes the top three with an area of 9,640,821 sq. km. The People’s Republic of China is completely located in Eurasia and borders 14 states. It is a great country with a unique culture and history. It is distinguished by high rates of development in all areas and industries.
China is the largest country in terms of population. In 2018, the number of people living in China exceeded 1 billion 430 million.
China may lose its leadership in the first half of the next decade, yielding the palm to India, where population growth is currently much higher. The most densely populated city in the world, Chongqing, is also located here, with a population of over 30 million people, which is comparable to the population of African Angola.
The United States is on the fourth line . America is one of the most highly developed countries in the world. The country’s territory is 9 522 057 sq. km. only slightly inferior to Canada. The United States borders on only three neighbors. And also with Russia in the north, thanks to the tiny, separated from the rest of the territory. It is the only state in the world located in all climatic zones, from the tropics to the arctic. It ranks third in the world in terms of population, with a population for the current year – 327,631,340 people.
Which country is the largest in South America ? This hot Brazil is the fifth largest in the world with an area of 8,515,767 sq. km. It shares borders with all the states of the mainland. The official language is Portuguese, like no other country on the mainland. The largest Amazon River and numerous jungles are located here. Brazil, famous for its football and grandiose carnival, is also distinguished by the largest number of “Catholics” living in it, about 64%.
The list continues with Australia , which is a separate continent, the most ancient of the continents. Its territory is 7 692 024 km. sq. , however, most of them are not inhabited and not suitable for living. This is the land with the largest number of rare, amazing plants and animals. The capital is Canberra, the largest city located not on the coast, but inside the mainland. Australia is the tenth happiest in the world, and in terms of GDP per capita, it is 14th, after Russia.
Do you know what is the largest country in South Asia? This is India with an area of 3,287,263 km2 , which today occupies the seventh line of our list. It is a land of contrasts, with unique inhabitants, diverse languages, customs, religions and landscapes. Today it lags far behind in economic development.
India, with a population of more than 1 367 460 thousand people, threatens to become the leader in terms of population in the next five years.
Next in the top 10 largest countries is Argentina , occupying 2,780,400 sq. km . The second largest state in South America. It stretches from north to south and lies in several climatic zones at once. In the north – subtropics, and in the south – cold deserts. The name of Argentina comes from the word “argentum” – silver, but there is very little valuable metal in the bowels of the earth. Few people will be able to name its capital – Buenos Aires, where the longest street in the world is located. The number of houses on it is more than 20 thousand.
The ninth largest in the world is Russia’s closest neighbor, Kazakhstan , occupying 2,724,900 km. sq . This is a state that until 1991 was part of the Soviet Union. It is located in Central Asia, 36% of its territories are deserts, and 35% are steppes. Kazakhstan is the only one among the large countries that has no access to the sea. But it has its own Aral Sea and the inexplicable lake BalKhash, one part of which is fresh and the other salty.
Algeria closes the top 10 largest countries with an area of 2,381,741 sq. km . It is located in the north of Africa and is the largest African state. The largest part of Algeria, about 80%, is the Sahara Desert. The capital is the city of the same name Algeria. The state is one of the leaders in terms of gas and oil reserves, but about 20% of people live below the poverty line.