Now compare countries by area, the land they cover. Here a map can fool you: in The Mercator Projection you saw that the Mercator projection stretches places far from the equator.
| Rank | Country | Total area (about) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Russia | 17.1 million km² |
| 2 | Canada | 10.0 million km² |
| 3–4 | United States | 9.8 million km² |
| 3–4 | China | 9.6 million km² |
| 5 | Brazil | 8.5 million km² |
| 6 | Australia | 7.7 million km² |
| 7 | India | 3.3 million km² |
| 8 | Argentina | 2.8 million km² |
| 9 | Kazakhstan | 2.7 million km² |
| 10 | Algeria | 2.4 million km² |
Key idea
Russia is by far the largest country. Canada is second by total area. The United States and China come next, and their order depends on how coastal waters, lakes and disputed land are counted. Then come Brazil and Australia.
Why it works
"Area" can mean different things. Total area counts lakes and rivers inside a country; Canada has so many lakes that by land alone, the United States and China are larger. Sources also differ on coastal waters and on land claimed by two countries. So the order in the middle of the list depends on the rules. Russia is first by any count, and Brazil and Australia come right after the big four.
Worked example: How many times as big?
Russia covers about 17.1 million km² and Australia about 7.7 million km². How many times as large is Russia?
- 17.1 ÷ 7.7 ≈ 2.2.
Answer: A little more than twice as large.
Worked example: Trust the right map
On a Mercator map Greenland looks as big as Africa. Which is larger?
- Mercator stretches lands near the poles.
- Greenland is about 2.2 million km²; Africa is about 30 million km².
- Africa is about 14 times as large.
Answer: Africa, by far.
Common mistake
Judging size from a Mercator map makes Canada and Russia look even bigger, and countries near the equator, such as Brazil and the DR Congo, look smaller than they are. Compare sizes on an equal-area map, or by the numbers.