You’ve probably stared at a Mercator projection map in a classroom and thought, "Wow, Greenland is huge." Honestly, it’s not. It is actually quite small compared to the real giants. When people ask what is the largest country in the world geographically, the answer is always Russia, and it isn't even a close race.
Russia is massive.
We are talking about 17,098,242 square kilometers of space. To put that in perspective, it covers about 11% of the entire Earth's landmass. If you were to hop on a plane in Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea and fly all the way to Vladivostok near the Pacific, you’d cross eleven different time zones. You could literally be eating breakfast in the west while your friends in the east are getting ready for bed. It's basically a continent disguised as a country.
Why Russia's size is almost hard to believe
Russia is nearly twice the size of Canada, which sits at number two on the list.
Think about that.
The gap between first and second place is roughly the size of the entire United States. Most people don't realize that Russia is even larger than the surface area of Pluto. While Pluto was demoted from planet status, Russia remains the undisputed king of terrestrial geography.
📖 Related: Why San Luis Valley Colorado is the Weirdest, Most Beautiful Place You’ve Never Been
It spans two continents—Europe and Asia. Around 75% of its land is in Asia, but the majority of the population lives in the European part. This creates a weird demographic split. You have these hyper-modern cities like Moscow and Saint Petersburg on one end, and then thousands of miles of "taiga" (boreal forest) and frozen tundra where you might not see another human for days.
The fierce battle for the runner-up spots
Things get a little messy after Russia.
While Russia is the clear winner for what is the largest country in the world geographically, the rankings for the next three spots usually depend on who is doing the measuring. Canada usually takes the silver medal with about 9.98 million square kilometers. However, a huge chunk of Canada isn't actually land; it's water. Canada has more lakes than the rest of the world combined.
Then you have China and the United States.
Depending on whether you count coastal waters, territories, or disputed islands, these two are constantly swapping places in the record books. Most official sources, like the CIA World Factbook, currently put the United States at number three and China at number four.
👉 See also: Why Palacio da Anunciada is Lisbon's Most Underrated Luxury Escape
- Russia: 17.1 million km²
- Canada: 9.98 million km²
- United States: 9.83 million km²
- China: 9.59 million km²
- Brazil: 8.51 million km²
China is technically larger than the U.S. if you only count land area and ignore the Great Lakes and coastal waters. But geography isn't just about dirt. It's about sovereignty. When you include the water within a country's recognized borders, the U.S. edges ahead.
What most people get wrong about Brazil and Australia
People often forget how big Brazil actually is. It occupies nearly half of South America. If you’ve ever flown over the Amazon, you know it feels endless. Brazil is the fifth largest country, and it’s the only one in the top five that is almost entirely tropical.
Australia follows closely at number six. It’s the only country that is also its own continent. It’s a bit of a geographic anomaly because while it's huge, most of the interior—the "Outback"—is virtually uninhabitable due to the heat and lack of water.
Geography vs. Geopolitics in 2026
Borders aren't as permanent as they look on a globe. In 2026, we are seeing how conflict and climate change shift the way we measure land. Russia’s actual "controlled" area has been fluctuating due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. As of early 2026, Russia occupies roughly 19% of Ukrainian territory, adding about 116,000 square kilometers to its administration.
However, the international community doesn't recognize these gains.
✨ Don't miss: Super 8 Fort Myers Florida: What to Honestly Expect Before You Book
When geographers talk about what is the largest country in the world geographically, they generally stick to 1991 borders. Adding occupied land to the tally is a political nightmare. Most maps you buy today will still show the old lines, even if the reality on the ground involves trenches and checkpoints.
The role of "Usable Land"
Size isn't everything.
If you look at "arable land"—land that can actually grow food—the rankings change completely. Russia might be the largest, but huge swaths of it are permafrost. As the world warms up in 2026, that permafrost is melting. This is actually changing the geography itself. Roads are collapsing, and new shipping routes are opening up in the Arctic.
Canada is facing the same issue. Its northern islands are becoming more accessible, but the ground beneath the towns is turning into mud. So, while Russia is the biggest on paper, a lot of that land is currently "locked" behind extreme weather.
Navigating the giant: Practical takeaways
If you’re planning to travel or do business across these massive nations, size becomes a very real logistical hurdle.
- Don't underestimate travel times. Crossing Russia by train (the Trans-Siberian Railway) takes six full days of non-stop travel.
- Check the water stats. If you're looking at land for investment or agriculture, "total area" is a vanity metric. You need to look at land area vs. water area.
- Time zone management is key. Working between Moscow and Magadan is harder than working between New York and London.
- Expect micro-climates. A country as big as Russia or the U.S. doesn't have "a weather." It has fifty.
Russia will likely remain the answer to what is the largest country in the world geographically for the rest of our lives. Unless a major continent-sized country splits apart or a new landmass rises from the ocean, the king of the map isn't going anywhere. Just remember that the numbers on the page don't always tell the whole story of how that land is actually used or who really controls it.
To get a better sense of how these sizes actually compare without the distortion of flat maps, use a tool like "The True Size Of" to drag Russia over the equator. You'll see it "shrink" as the map projection corrects itself, though it still remains comfortably larger than any other nation on the planet. For the most up-to-date boundary data, always refer to the UN Statistics Division or the latest CIA Factbook updates, which account for the minor annual shifts in coastal erosion and land reclamation.