Land accounts for 29.2% of the planet's surface. This entire area is occupied by about two hundred countries. Half of the Earth's land area is divided between the ten largest states, and two countries - China and India - are home to more than 35% of the total population of the planet.
Largest countries in the world by area
We present to you a list and brief description of the ten largest countries in the world in order of increasing area.
10. Algeria
The country's area is 2,381,741 km². The state is located in the northern part, the capital is the city of Algiers. The bulk of the population are Arabs. The Berbers, the oldest African ethnic group, inhabit the foothills of the Atlas Mountains and large parts of the Sahara. Most people profess Islam. Algeria is adjacent to the territory of six countries and the lands of Western Sahara. Neighboring countries are Mali, Libya, Tunisia, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger. The northern part faces the Mediterranean Sea. In Algeria there is a unique Ink Lake, the ink from which is used to make ink and pen paste.
9. Kazakhstan
The country's area is 2,724,902 km². Kazakhstan is located in Asia, the capital is Astana. The ethnic composition is represented by Kazakhs, Russians, Uzbeks, Tatars, and Ukrainians. Representatives of other nationalities are few in number. Kazakhstan washes the Caspian Sea and, which are inland. Neighboring states include Russia, China, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan. The world's largest cosmodrome, Baikonur, is located in Kazakhstan.
8. Argentina
3. China
The largest Asian state, with an area of 9,597,000 km². Beijing is the cultural center and capital of China. The country is home to 56 nationalities, and the population is unevenly distributed. China is washed by 4 seas of the Pacific Ocean. It borders on fourteen countries, including Russia. Shanghai and Beijing are the largest cities in the world in terms of population density. The country is rich in architectural and natural attractions. Tourists are advised to visit the Great Wall of China, the Temple of Heaven and the Ancient City of Pingyao.
2. Canada
Canada's area is 9,984,670 km². The capital is the city of Ottawa. The state is located in North America. The population is represented by English-Canadians, French-Canadians and small ethnic groups. The country's shores are washed by the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic oceans. In the south and northwest (with Alaska) Canada neighbors the United States. Their land border is the longest in the world. Most of the lands that fall in mountainous areas have not been developed by humans. Natural complexes border on large cities. The population of the country is doing everything possible to preserve it in its original form. There are many national parks in Canada. are the natural wealth of the country. Famous natural landmarks include Montmorency Falls, Bay of Fundy, Rocky Mountains and Slave Lake.
1. Russia
With an area of approximately 17,100,000 km², Russia is undeniably the largest country on Earth. There are more than one hundred and sixty nationalities living in the Russian Federation. 12 seas belonging to the Arctic, Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Russia's land border extends over 22,000 km. It neighbors fourteen countries, including China, North Korea, Norway and Finland. The country is unique in every way. Due to its large extent, nature amazes with its diversity. In different parts you can see glaciers and alpine meadows. The territory of the Russian Federation is covered with a dense river network and countless lakes. Each region has its own unique natural monuments: Lake Baikal, the Altai Mountains, the Valley of Geysers, the Lena Pillars, the Putorana Plateau, etc.
Largest countries in the world by population
If we take into account the population as of 2018, the list of the largest countries on the planet will look like this:
- China - more than 1.39 billion people;
- India - more than 1.35 billion people;
- USA - more than 325 million people;
- Indonesia - more than 267 million people;
- Pakistan - more than 211 million people;
- Brazil - more than 209 million people;
- Nigeria - more than 196 million people;
- Bangladesh - more than 166 million people;
- Russia - more than 146 million people;
- Japan - more than 126 million people.
There are many different states on the map of our planet. Some of them are very small, which does not prevent them from being interesting places for travelers. Other tourists prefer to visit larger countries, where they can see more beautiful and interesting places. After reading the top 10 largest countries by area in the world, you will learn about the top ten countries with large territories
10 Algeria
The full official form of the name of this country is: Algerian People's Democratic Republic. This state is also called the Andr. The territory of Algeria covers 2,381,740 square kilometers. 80% of the territory of this state is occupied by the Sahara Desert, consisting of separate rocky and sandy deserts.
9 Kazakhstan
The official name of this country is the Republic of Kazakhstan. Also, the abbreviation RK is sometimes used as the name of this state. Kazakhstan has an area of 2,724,902 square kilometers. 36% of the country's territory is desert. On a slightly smaller area - 35% - the steppe spreads. 18% of the territory of Kazakhstan is semi-desert. Forests cover 5.9% of the country's area.
8 Argentina
The full official name of Argentina is: Argentine Republic. The area of this country is 2,780,400 square kilometers. The nature of Argentina is very diverse, because this state has a large extent from north to south and there are various reliefs on its territory. The northern and eastern parts of Argentina are mostly flat. The western and southern parts of this country have hills.
7 India
Officially, this country is called: Republic of India. The area of India is 3287263 square kilometers. Different climates prevail in different parts of this country, including: tropical dry, tropical humid, subtropical monsoon and highland.
6 Australia
The official form of the name of Australia is: Commonwealth of Australia. The area of this state is 7,692,024 square kilometers. The territory of Australia occupies the mainland of Australia, the island of Tasmania and several other islands in the Indian and Pacific oceans. Most of the country is covered by deserts and low-lying areas.
5 Brazil
The full official name of this state is: Federative Republic of Brazil. The territory of Brazil is 8,515,770 square kilometers. The north of the country is occupied by the Amazon Lowland - a vast valley surrounding the famous large Amazon River. Brazil also has rolling plains, plateaus, lowlands and mountains.
4 USA
The United States of America (USA) is sometimes called simply the United States or simply America. The area of this country is 9519431 square kilometers. The territory of the United States of America combines such landforms as plains, lowlands, plateaus and mountains.
3 China
Full name of China: People's Republic of China. Also, sometimes this state is called an abbreviation of its full name: China. Ranking third in the ranking of countries with a large territory, China has an area of 9,598,962 square kilometers. On the territory of this state, various landforms coexist: mountains, plateaus, depressions, deserts and plains occupying large areas. The nature in China is very diverse, and when traveling around this country, you can visit cold high mountain deserts, subtropical forests, and fertile plains. The climate in different places in China is also different: in the southeast there is a subtropical climate, in the northwest there is a sharply continental (arid) climate, and on the southern coast of the country the weather is controlled by monsoons.
2 Canada
Territory of Canada: 9984670 square kilometers. Everywhere, except for the extreme southern territories, taiga predominates in this state. There are glaciers in the Arctic region of Canada, the coastal mountains and Mount St. Elias. The steppe plains of Canada are quite favorable for agriculture. Most of Canada's population lives in the southeastern Plains, where the St. Lawrence River flows from the Great Lakes.
1 Russia
This country also has the official name Russian Federation. When talking about Russia, the abbreviation RF is also used. The territory of Russia is 17,125,191 square kilometers. Different parts of the area of this state are located in different climatic zones: arctic, subarctic, temperate, subtropical. Most of the country is located in the temperate climate zone.
Large countries are very interesting for travelers, because their vast territory is home to many beautiful or unusual attractions.
Surely everyone knows that the largest in the world is Russia. TravelAsk wants to introduce you to its scale.
Largest territory
Russia is the largest country in the world, with an area of 17.1 million square kilometers, which is approximately twice the size of Canada, the country with the second largest area. And this is one sixth of all the land on the planet.
By the way, if Antarctica were a state, it would rank second in the world after Russia, with an area of 14.4 million square kilometers.
In the 18th century, Russia was the third largest empire in human history. Its territory began from European Poland and ended in North American Alaska.
Russia grew especially during the reign of the Romanov dynasty. Each monarch left to his heir a larger country than he had received from his predecessor.
Russia is almost twice as large (1.8 to be precise). The area of the country is approximately equal to the entire planet Pluto.
The Russian Federation has borders with 16 countries, and this is the largest border in the world. The total length of the borders is 60 thousand kilometers, 20 thousand of them are land.
Russia is the only state whose territory is washed by twelve seas.
The country has 10 time zones, as it has a large extent from West to East.
In terms of population, Russia ranks seventh in the world, the country is home to about 145 million people, and 79% of the population are Russian.
Harsh climate
Russia has a very different climate. So, in winter the average temperature is +5 degrees, and at the same time in Novosibirsk -15 degrees. But the Oymyakon region of Yakutia is breaking records: here the average monthly temperature in January is -61 degrees.
Nowhere else in the world are there places where people constantly live and work at such low temperatures. By the way, it was in Oymyakon that the lowest air temperature in history was recorded - 71.2 degrees. This happened in 1924.
Interesting facts about Russia
Fact No. 1. The West Siberian Plain is the largest plain on the planet.
Fact No. 2. Forests occupy about 60% of the territory of all countries.
Fact No. 4. There are many bodies of water in Russia: 2.5 million rivers and 3 million lakes.
Fact No. 5. Russia is considered a European country, but 2/3 of the country is located in Asia.
Fact No. 6. The longest railway in the world is located in Russia. This is the Trans-Siberian railway. The Great Siberian Way connects Moscow and, at 9,298 kilometers long, it crosses 8 time zones, 16 rivers, and passes through 87 cities and towns.
Fact No. 7. Siberian Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world and the largest source of fresh water on the planet.
The lake has 23 cubic kilometers of water. All the world's largest rivers must flow for almost a year to fill a basin of this size.
Fact No. 7. Russia is separated from America by 4 kilometers. This is the distance between the islands in the Bering Strait: Ratmanov (Russia) and Kruzenshtern ().
Fact No. 8. Before the 1917 revolution, the Russian family was one of the largest in the world. In Russia it was believed that 8 children in a family was very few. It was normal to have 12–14 children.
Fact No. 9. The Moscow Kremlin is the largest medieval fortress in the world.
The total length of the Kremlin walls is 2235 meters.
Fact No. 10. Russia has the largest reserves of natural gas, peat, timber, salt, drinking water, crabs, sturgeon, tin, zinc, titanium, niobium, nickel, iron ores, diamonds, and silver.
Fact No. 11. The country has 103 nature reserves, 43 giant national parks and 70 game reserves. The total area of specially protected natural areas in Russia is about 600 thousand square kilometers, which is approximately 4% of the entire area of the country. The park area in Moscow is much larger than in any Western city.
Thus, Izmailovsky Park has an area of 15.34 sq. km, which is six times larger than Central Park, beloved by New Yorkers.
Fact No. 12. The Siberian taiga is the largest forest in the world.
Fact No. 13. 40 percent of Europe's area is the territory of the Russian Federation.
Fact No. 14. Russian oil and gas pipelines are very long: almost 260 thousand kilometers.
Fact No. 15. Russia also has the largest volume of renewable water resources in the world. It is 4498 km3.
Who else is in the lead?
It ranks second in area, its dimensions are 9,984,670 square kilometers. However, despite the high standard of living, it is sparsely populated: there are only 3.5 Canadians per square kilometer. It's all about the harsh climate.
China rightfully occupies third place. Its area is 9,598,962 square kilometers. It is the most populous country.
There are states on our planet that we only heard about in geography lessons. Entire worlds with their own rules and mentality that live on the other side of the world.
They are not well-known because they do not pursue an active foreign policy; the scale of their lands and production within does not affect other countries.
Other countries are powerful fighters for rights and active helpers for neighboring states.
They are endowed with huge territories and supply their “neighbors” with products and minerals. Their territory is so vast that it is difficult to imagine.
Anyone who went to school knows an approximate list of the largest states in the world. Let's refresh our knowledge by remembering their names and the size of the area.
List of the largest countries in the world:
The first 7 countries on the list are considered giants in terms of territory size. Any state whose size exceeds 3,000,000 km² is gigantic.
The territory of Russia is the undoubted leader. Almost twice the size of second-place Canada.
Interesting fact! Under the USSR, our territory was even larger. Its size almost reached the territory of all of North America.
The lion's share - three quarters of the land - belonged to Russia. One sixth of the earth's space belonged to the USSR.
This order was maintained from 1922 to 1991. The area of the USSR is 22,402,200 km². 293,047,571 people lived in these open spaces.
Largest countries by population
Population is another indicator. Territory and numbers vary greatly. The leaders of the previous table are changing abruptly.
Numbers do not depend on wealth, on the contrary: poor countries have larger numbers. Climate, national characteristics, and mentality matter.
List of countries with the largest population:
- India.
- Indonesia.
- Pakistan.
- Brazil.
- Nigeria.
- Bangladesh.
- Russia.
- Japan.
Russia occupies only 9th position. China is in the lead; Russians have long been making jokes about the situation with population growth. And in vain, since in Russia the situation is the opposite.
Despite the high population, the birth rate in the country is low. In 2016, the birth rate in Russia was 12.9%, and mortality statistics showed exactly the same.
Today in our country there is an active policy to support mothers with children. New laws are being adopted that will improve the financial situation of families with children.
But, as statistics show, it is not a matter of the country’s material well-being.
Leaders in natural population growth:
- Malawi - 33.2%.
- Uganda - 33%.
- Burundi - 32.7%.
- Niger - 32.7%.
- Mali - 31.8%.
These countries cannot be called developed and wealthy. The fertility rate is taken from the same ratio.
Another surprising pattern: in these countries the mortality rate is lower than in Russia, which occupies - attention - 201st place in the ranking of population growth! We are in 201st place. These are the data for 2016.
In 2017, due to the wave of the financial crisis, the situation did not improve. The mortality rate has decreased, but along with it there has been a real collapse in the birth rate.
So we are still far from reaching the indicators of Malawi and Uganda. The mortality rate in 2017 was 12.6%. Men do not live to see 60 years of age. The female figure is 71 years.
Ratings of countries by standard of living in 2017
The effect of wealth on fertility is a controversial issue. Developed countries are known for having the lowest birth rates.
Psychologists explain this by the lack of a sense of fear, which activates the instinct of self-preservation in residents with a low standard of living.
The instinct of self-preservation calls on people to leave offspring behind. The worse they live, the stronger the desire to continue the family line, to give birth to more children in order to increase the likelihood of continued life.
Developed countries provide stability, and people do not have such an instinct.
In addition to the survival instinct, the culture of a country influences fertility. In the East it is customary to start large families.
They sincerely cannot understand what childfree is and how such people can even exist.
Interesting information! Childfree - families who reject the idea of having and maintaining children.
Top 5 countries leading in terms of living standards in 2017:
- Norway.
- Australia.
- Sweden.
- Switzerland.
- Netherlands.
The Netherlands ranks 184th in terms of population growth. It is slightly more than 2%.
Sweden - 180th place.
Switzerland - 182nd place.
Norway - 169th place in the ranking, population growth 4.1%.
Australia - 159th place, 4.9%. The mortality rate does not exceed the birth rate - this is a positive indicator for states.
Many countries have a negative rate of natural population growth.
The list includes world powers:
- Poland.
- Moldova.
- Czech Republic.
- Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- Italy.
- Japan.
- Portugal.
- Estonia.
- France.
- Greece.
- Belarus.
- Romania.
- Monaco.
- Germany.
- Croatia.
- Slovenia.
- Hungary.
- Ukraine.
- Latvia.
- Lithuania.
- Serbia.
- Bulgaria.
The birth rate in these states ranges from 8 to 10%, and the mortality rate: from 9 to 13%.
Comparative data show that the demographic state of affairs in Russia is relatively good.
The financial crisis of recent years has affected the birth rate, but the figures give hope for a better outcome. Mortality and birth rates are at least equal. The current policy of our country is aimed at preserving the nation.
Along with the birth rate, the number of marriages in Russia decreased in 2017.
But the government continues to introduce new laws that will help restore the balance between mortality and fertility in the direction of increasing natural increase.
Useful video
In the last article we talked about, in this publication we will learn about the largest countries. The largest country by area is the Russian Federation, occupying 17,126,122 km?. The largest country by population is China, with 1,368,779,000 people. You can get more information on this issue below.
Largest country by:
Owners of wide open spaces
First, let's look at the TOP largest territories of countries and their occupied area:- Russia - 17,126,122 km?;
- Canada - 9,976,140 km?;
- China - 9,598,077 km?;
- USA - 9,518,900 km?;
- Brazil - 8,511,965 km?;
- Australia - 7,686,850 km?;
- India - 3,287,590 km?;
- Argentina - 2,766,890 km?;
- Kazakhstan - 2,724,902 km?;
- The rest - 80,646,216 km?.
As we see, Russia occupies 11% of the planet’s land area, Canada – 7%, China – 6%. Thus, these three countries occupy about 24% of the world's land area. Now let's study the leading countries in more detail.
Russian Federation
The largest country by area is Russia, its area is 17,126,122 km?.
Russia is the largest country in terms of territory, with a federal structure. Until 2014, the territory of Russia was 17,125,187 km?, after Crimea was annexed in March 2014, the area of the state increased to the present figure.
Due to such a huge territory, Russia borders on 18 countries, which is the highest number in the world.
The territory of the Russian state includes 85 federal subjects, of which:
- 46 regions;
- 22 republics;
- 9 edges;
- 4 autonomous okrugs;
- 3 federal cities;
- 1 autonomous region.
Russia occupies 1/8 of the land mass and is comparable not just to countries, but even to continents.
Canada
The second largest country in the world is Canada, its area is 9,984,670 km?.
Canada's territory is almost 2 times smaller than Russia's. Like Russia, Canada is a federal state.
Canada's territory includes:
- 10 provinces;
- 3 territories.
Canada is the largest state of the American islands, even surpassing its continental neighbor, the United States, in area.
China
The third largest territory on the planet belongs to China, which occupies 9,640,821 km?.
The area of China is not too far from Canada when compared with Russia.
China includes:
- 22 provinces (some sources indicate 23 provinces, including Taiwan);
- 5 autonomous regions;
- 4 municipalities;
- 2 special administrative regions.
Despite its significant area, most of China's territory is occupied by mountains, about 67%.
"People's" countries
Let's look at the overall ranking of the most populated countries:- China – 1,368,779,000 people;
- India – 1,261,779,000 people;
- USA – 318,613,000 people;
- Indonesia – 252,812,245 people;
- Brazil – 203,260,131 people;
- Pakistan – 187,878,027 people;
- Nigeria – 178,516,904 people;
- Bangladesh - 156,951,230 people;
- Russia – 146,200,000 people;
- The rest – 2,911,254,980 people.
As you can see from the table, the top three leading countries have a population equal to all those countries that are not included in the top nine. Now let's look at the top three in more detail.
China
The most populous country is China, which is home to about 1,368,779,000 people.
China's population increases by 12 million people every year. Starting in 1979, the state switched to a policy of limiting the birth rate, but having reached average levels, over time the birth rate gradually increases again from year to year.
India
The second most populous country is India, with 1,261,779,000 people living in the country.
Oddly enough, almost 70% of Indians live in rural areas. The state does not pursue any birth control policy. India's annual population growth is about 14 million people.
The top three countries in terms of population are the United States, with 320,194,478 people.
The US population growth per year is about 8 million people. A fairly significant portion of this number are migrants from other countries. For the United States, just like other countries, it will be very difficult to catch up with China and India in terms of population, and in the conditions of modern life, it will be unrealistic.
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