Honestly, it is hard to wrap your head around just how massive the biggest country in the world by size actually is. You’ve probably seen it on a map—that giant horizontal slab of land stretching across the top of the globe—but Mercator projections (those flat maps we used in school) kinda lie to us. They make things near the poles look way bigger than they are.
Yet, even when you strip away the map distortions, Russia is still a monster.
We are talking about 17,098,242 square kilometers. To put that in perspective, if you took the United States and doubled it, you’d still have room to fit a couple of extra European countries in the leftover space. It covers about 11% of all the land on Earth. Basically, if you’re standing on dry land anywhere in the world, there’s a 1-in-9 chance you’re standing in Russia.
The sheer scale of the biggest country in the world by size
It is not just about the total area, though. It’s the reach. Russia spans 11 different time zones.
Imagine this: you’re a fisherman in Vladivostok having breakfast on a Tuesday morning, looking out at the Pacific Ocean. At 그 exactly same moment, a Baltic sailor in Kaliningrad is just sitting down for a late Monday dinner. They are in the same country, but they might as well be on different planets.
When people talk about the biggest country in the world by size, they usually mention it's "twice the size of Canada" (the runner-up), which is true. Canada clocks in at about 9.98 million square kilometers. Russia is so big that even if you chopped off its entire Asian side (Siberia), the remaining European part would still be the largest country in Europe.
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Why size doesn't always equal space
You'd think with all that land, everyone would have plenty of elbow room. Not really.
Most of the country is actually quite empty. About 75% of the population lives in the European part, which is only about a quarter of the total landmass. The rest? It’s Siberia.
Siberia is legendary for being "big and cold," but that’s an understatement. It makes up roughly 77% of Russia’s territory but holds barely 20% of its people. It’s a land of extremes. You’ve got the Taiga, which is the largest continuous forest in the world. It’s so dense and vast that there are parts of it where no human has likely ever set foot.
The geography of extremes
Being the biggest country in the world by size means you don't just get one climate. You get all of them—well, except the tropical ones.
- The Tundra: In the far north, the ground is permanently frozen. This is permafrost. In the summer, only the top few inches thaw, turning the landscape into a giant, buggy marsh.
- The Steppe: Down south, the forests give way to massive, treeless grasslands. This is Russia’s "breadbasket," where most of the farming happens.
- The Mountains: You have the Urals, which technically divide Europe from Asia. They aren't super tall, but they are incredibly old and packed with minerals. Then you have the Caucasus in the south, home to Mount Elbrus, the highest peak in Europe at 5,642 meters.
And then there’s the water. Russia has over 100,000 rivers. The Volga is the longest in Europe, but the Siberian giants like the Ob, Yenisei, and Lena are even bigger.
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The Lake Baikal anomaly
You can't talk about Russian geography without mentioning Lake Baikal. It’s located in southern Siberia and it is a freak of nature.
- It is the deepest lake in the world (1,642 meters).
- It contains about 20% of the world's unfrozen surface freshwater.
- It is so big that all the Great Lakes in North America combined wouldn't equal its volume.
Basically, if you emptied Baikal, it would take every river on Earth an entire year to refill it.
What most people get wrong about the "Cold"
Yes, it gets cold. In Oymyakon, a village in Yakutia, temperatures have dropped to -67.8°C (-90°F). That is "your-eyelashes-freeze-together" cold.
But because Russia is the biggest country in the world by size, it also gets surprisingly hot. In the summer, places in Siberia can hit 35°C (95°F). Because it’s a "continental climate," there’s no ocean nearby to regulate the temperature. It just swings wildly from one extreme to the other.
The logistics of ruling a giant
Being this big is actually a bit of a nightmare for infrastructure.
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Think about the Trans-Siberian Railway. It’s the longest railway line in the world, connecting Moscow to Vladivostok. The journey takes about seven days of non-stop travel. It crosses 87 cities and 8 time zones.
Maintaining roads and rails across permafrost is a constant battle. When the ground thaws in the summer, it shifts. Buildings tilt. Pipes break. It’s a reason why much of northern Russia remains undeveloped; it’s just too expensive to build anything that lasts.
Actionable insights for travelers or researchers
If you’re looking to truly grasp the scale of the biggest country in the world by size, don't just stay in Moscow. Moscow is a world-class megacity, but it’s not "Russia" in the geographical sense.
- Check the "True Size" tools: Go to websites like The True Size Of and drag Russia over the equator. You’ll see it "shrink" as the map distortion disappears, which helps you see its actual shape compared to Africa or South America.
- The Golden Ring: If you want the history without the 7-day train ride, visit the "Golden Ring" cities northeast of Moscow. You get the ancient architecture and the "Russian Plain" feel within a few hours of the capital.
- Respect the "Cold" season: If you ever visit Siberia in winter, do not rely on "winter gear" from a mall in London or New York. Buy your gear locally or get professional expedition-grade clothing. The cold there is a different beast entirely.
- Flight Times: Keep in mind that flying from Moscow to Vladivostok takes about 8 to 9 hours. That is the same as flying from New York to London. Plan your itinerary according to these distances; you cannot "see Russia" in a week.
Russia’s status as the biggest country in the world by size isn't just a trivia fact; it’s the defining characteristic of the nation's history, climate, and soul. It’s a place where you can travel for days and never see the same landscape twice, yet still find someone drinking the same tea and speaking the same language 6,000 miles from where you started.
Next steps for your research:
Compare the land-to-water ratio of Russia vs. Canada. While Russia has more total area, Canada has significantly more inland water (lakes), which changes how much "walkable" land each actually has. You might find that the gap in "usable" land is smaller than the total square mileage suggests.