Did you know that the largest city in the world lives three times more people than Moscow, and the city itself is 32 times larger in area than Moscow? Read below.
No. 10. Wuhan (China) - 8,494 km²
Wuhan stands at the confluence of the Yangtze and Han rivers. The territory of the Wuhan metropolis consists of 3 parts - Wuchang, Hankou and Hanyang, which together are called the “Wuhan Tricity”. These three parts stand opposite each other on different banks of the rivers, they are connected by bridges. The population of Wuhan is 10,220,000 people.
The history of the city goes back 3000 years, when an important trading port was formed on the site of the future Wuhan. There are 8 national and 14 public colleges and universities in Wuhan.
No. 9. Kinshasa (Congo) - 9,965 km²
Kinshasa is the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, located on the Congo River. Until 1966, Kinshasa was called Leopoldville. The population of the city is 10,125,000 people.
Kinshasa is the second most populous city in Africa, after Lagos.
No. 8. Melbourne (Australia) - 9,990 km²
Melbourne is the second largest city in Australia and the capital of the state of Victoria. The metropolitan area has a population of approximately 4,529,500. Melbourne is the southernmost millionaire city in the world.
Melbourne is one of the main commercial, industrial and cultural centers of Australia. Melbourne is also often referred to as the country's "sports and cultural capital".
The city is famous for its architecture and combination of Victorian and modern styles, parks and gardens. In 2016, The Economist magazine named Melbourne, for the sixth time in a row, the most comfortable city on the planet to live based on a combination of characteristics.
Melbourne was founded in 1835 as an agricultural settlement on the banks of the Yarra River.
No. 7. Tianjin (China) - 11,760 km²
Tianjin is located in northern China along the Bohai Bay. The population of the city is 15,469,500 people. The majority of the population is Han, but representatives of small ethnic groups also live. These are mainly: Hui, Koreans, Manchus and Mongols.
In the 20th century, Tianjin became the locomotive of Chinese industrialization, the largest center of heavy and light industry.
No. 6. Sydney (Australia) - 12,144 km²
Sydney is Australia's largest city, with a population of 4,840,600 people. Sydney is the capital of the state of New South Wales.
Sydney was founded in 1788 by Arthur Phillip, who arrived here at the head of the First Fleet. Sydney is the first site of colonial European settlement in Australia. The city was named after Lord Sydney, the British Secretary of State for the Colonies.
The city is famous for its opera house, Harbor Bridge and beaches. Residential areas of greater Sydney are surrounded by national parks. The coastline is rich in bays, coves, beaches and islands.
Sydney is one of the most multicultural and multicultural cities in the world. Sydney ranks first in Australia and 66th in the world in terms of cost of living.
No. 5. Chengdu (China) - 12,390 km²
Chengdu is a city-subprovince in southwestern China, in the valley of the Minjiang River, the administrative center of Sichuan Province. Population - 14,427,500 people.
The emblem of the city is the ancient golden disk “Birds of the Golden Sun,” which was found in 2001 during excavations of the Jinsha culture within the city.
Chengdu is a major center of economics, trade, finance, science and technology, as well as an important center of transport and communications. Chengdu has become the main center of new urbanization in China.
No. 4. Brisbane (Australia) - 15,826 km²
Brisbane is a city in Australia, Queensland. The population of the city is 2,274,560 people.
The city is located in eastern Australia, on the banks of the Brisbane River and Moreton Bay of the Pacific Ocean. It is included in the top hundred global cities in the world.
Founded in 1825, old name - Edenglassie. Since 1859 it has been the capital of Queensland.
No. 3. Beijing (China) - 16,801 km²
Beijing is the capital of China. It is the largest railway and road junction and one of the main air hubs in the country. Beijing is the political, educational and cultural center of the People's Republic of China.
Beijing is one of the four ancient capitals of China. In 2008, the Summer Olympic Games were held in Beijing. The city will host the Winter Olympic Games in 2022.
The population of the city is 21,705,000 people.
No. 2. Hangzhou (China) - 16,840 km²
Hangzhou is a sub-city city, the capital of Zhejiang Province, located 180 km southwest of Shanghai. The population of the city is 9,018,500 people.
The former name of Hangzhou is Lin'an, in the pre-Mongol era it was the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty and was the most populated city in the then world. Now Hangzhou is famous for its tea plantations and natural beauty. The most famous place is Lake Xihu.
No. 1. Chongqing (China) - 82,400 km²
Chongqing is the largest by area of the four Chinese cities under central jurisdiction. The population of the city is 30,165,500 people.
Chongqing arose more than 3 thousand years ago. The city was the capital of the Ba kingdom and was called Jiangzhou.
Now Chongqing is one of the largest commercial centers in China. Most of the city's economy is built on industry. Main industries: chemical, mechanical engineering and metallurgical. Chongqing is also China's largest automobile manufacturing base. There are 5 automobile production factories and more than 400 automobile parts factories here.
Moscow - 2561 km2
St. Petersburg - 1439 km2
Ekaterinburg - 468 km2
Kazan - 425 km2
Novosibirsk - 505 km2
Volgograd - 565 km2
There are many different countries on the map of our planet. Some of them are small, but this does not prevent them from being interesting places for travelers.
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Other tourists visit larger countries, where they can see more beautiful and interesting places. Let's look at the largest countries by area in the world.
Classification of states
According to the classification of area, giant countries are divided into large, significant, medium, small, small countries and micro states.
| Giant countries have an area of more than 3 million km2 | There are 7 of them in the world |
| Large countries have an area of 1 million to 3 million km2 | This is 21 countries |
| Significant countries - from 500 thousand to 1 million km2 | 21 countries |
| Medium – from 100 to 500 thousand km2 | 56 countries |
| Small – from 10 to 100 thousand km2 | 56 countries |
| Small – from 1 to 10 thousand km2 | 8 countries |
| Micro states - less than 1 thousand km2 | 24 countries |
Top 10
- Russian Federation;
- Canada;
- China;
- Brazil;
- Australia;
- India;
- Argentina;
- Kazakhstan;
- Algeria.
If you look at the territories of the countries, you can immediately see that Russia is in first place. Almost two times less - Canada, USA, China and Brazil.
The area of each state is very large, which can exceed the entire continent of Australia in volume.
Russia
This state has the official name Russian Federation. The abbreviation RF is also often used.
Russia has a large territory of 17,098,242 km, and is located on the Eurasian continent. The capital of the Russian Federation is Moscow.
In terms of its territory, the Russian Federation has no competition with the oceans - Pacific, Atlantic, Indian. Our state is located in Europe and Asia at the same time.
The territory of Europe alone of this state significantly exceeds the size of the territory of any of the European countries.
Russia occupies approximately 12.5% of the land on our planet where people live. Our country is distinguished by a large number of natural resources. The population of the Russian Federation is more than 146 million people.
The collapse of the Soviet Union did not affect the situation; Russia remained in the leading position, occupying 11.5% of the total land area.
A significant part of its area is located on the Asian part of the continent, where people cannot live. In the western part there is the East European Plain, which is separated from the Asian part by the Ural Mountains.
The country is the richest in the world in terms of resource reserves. Russia is the longest country in terms of length, spanning 11 time zones.
The number of neighboring states is also large - the Russian Federation shares its border with 18 other states. The total length of the border is almost 61,000 km, of which 38 pass by sea.
Canada
This country is in second place for its area of 9,984,670 km2. Everywhere, except for the extreme southern territories, taiga predominates in this country.
There are glaciers in the Arctic part of the state and the coastal mountains. The steppe plains of Canada offer favorable conditions for farming.A significant part of the country's population lives in the southeastern plains, where the St. Lawrence River is located. The center of Canada is Ottawa, which occupies 42% of the continent.
Canada holds the record for the largest area of borders due to the coastline of the Atlantic Ocean. A significant part of the territory is not suitable for life, so the density of inhabitants is not high, one of the smallest on the entire planet.
There are 34 million people living in the country - the same number live in Tokyo. This has its positive aspects - clean ecology makes it a desirable place to visit and live for many people
China
The full name of the country is the People's Republic of China. Sometimes it is called the People's Republic of China. China is located in East Asia and is considered the second largest country on this continent.
This state is in third place in the world, and has an area of 9,598,962 km2. On the territory of this country there are different forms of relief - mountains, desert plateaus and large flat areas.
The nature in China is very different, and when traveling around this country, you can visit cold deserts, subtropical forests, and 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 monsoons prevail.
Shanghai is considered the most populated among all large cities. China is the most populous country in the world, the Chinese make up a sixth of the world's population, and in the future this ratio will tilt even more towards China.
At the same time, the country's population occupies 10% of its area - cities and villages are located along rivers and the seashore. In recent years, the country has taken a leading position in the global economy and industry.
USA
The United States of America (USA) is also simply called America. The area of this state is 9519431 km2.
The country has a combination of landforms such as plains, lowlands, plateaus and mountains. The main metropolis of the USA is Washington.
This state has the most technologically advanced army, a high level of income and occupies a leading position in the world economy.
A large area lies between two oceans, and a significant part of it is occupied by plains, which are surrounded by mountains in the west, forests and swamps in the east. In the north of the state there is a large system of lakes.
In addition to part of the continent, the state includes various islands in the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Niagara Falls is located near the border with Canada.
Brazil
The full official name of this country is the Federative Republic of Brazil. The territory of the state is 8,514,877 km2, thanks to which it ranks first in South America.
In the north of the country is the Amazon Plain, a large valley that surrounds the Amazon River. This state is also one of the most populated in the world.
The country's topography is heterogeneous. The Amazon basin occupies most of northern Brazil.This area is the largest lowland in the world and the least populated area on the planet.
The south and east of the country consists of highlands - the large Brazilian and the Guiana, separated from the main massif by the Amazon.
The narrow Atlantic Plain, where it meets the ocean, forms beaches, lagoons and natural harbors. The country's main attraction is the Amazon and its tropical jungles, which are declining due to deforestation.
The country is famous for its carnivals in Rio de Janeiro and its sporting achievements, and is home to a large number of world football stars.
Organized on a federal basis, the country includes 26 states plus the capital district. Each of the administrative units of the state is vested with broad powers in different areas. In addition, there is a division into regions, of which there are five.
Australia
The official name of the country is the Commonwealth of Australia. The territory of this country is 7692024 km2. A large part of the state contains deserts and low-lying areas.
Australia has its own continent. It is the largest country in Oceania. In terms of quality of life, this state is in second place in the world.
The capital of Australia is Canberra, an artificially created city. Thanks to a thoughtful layout that takes into account the features of the landscape, the city is a model of urban planning. The capital of Australia is home to 380 thousand people; you can explore the city in a day.
India
The official name of the country is the Republic of India. The area of the state is 3,287,263 km2. India has the second largest population in the world.
More than 1.3 billion people live in the country, and according to statistics, it continues to grow. There are 357 people per km2 in India.
Different parts of this state are dominated by different climates - tropical dry, tropical humid, subtropical monsoon and highland.
Argentina
The full name of the country is the Argentine Republic. The area of this state is 2,780,400 km2.
The nature of the state is extremely diverse, because this country has a large extent from north to south and there are different reliefs on its territory.
In the northern and eastern parts of the state there are plains, and in the western and southern parts there are hills.
Kazakhstan
The official name of this state is the Republic of Kazakhstan. Also, the abbreviated version of the Republic of Kazakhstan is sometimes used as the name of this country.
The state has an area of 2,724,902 km2. 36% of its area is desert. 35% of the state is steppe.
Semi-desert is located on 18% of the area of Kazakhstan. Forests cover 5.9% of the state's territory.
Algeria
The full name of this state is the Algerian People's Democratic Republic or ADR.
Video: important aspects
The area of this country is 2381740 km2. 80% of the country's area is occupied by the Sahara Desert, which consists of separate rocky and sandy deserts.
The top ten largest countries in the world can be determined using different criteria. Most often, the largest countries are those that occupy the largest areas. In this case, the largest country in the world will be Russia. It is sometimes said that the largest country in the world is China. This is also true, China has as many people as you can find anywhere else - 1.2 billion! Finally, the largest countries in the world can be considered the eight economically developed countries of the world, which jointly determine their policies, the so-called “Big Eight”. It includes Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Japan and Russia, and the United States, the country with the highest GDP in the world, remains uncompetitively the leader in economic development.
Let us dwell on the ten largest countries in the world by area. These include states from different regions. Half of the dozen participants were delegated by the New World, four countries are located in Eurasia, one is in Africa. Moreover, only Russia can be considered a European country. The most common language in the largest countries of the world is English. It is spoken in the USA, Canada, Australia and a little in India. The Russian language is widely used in Russia and Kazakhstan.
The top ten is dominated by multinational countries. The country with the most diverse ethnic composition is India. Over 500 peoples, nationalities and tribes live here. Many ethnic groups live in Sudan, Russia, Canada, Kazakhstan, China, and the USA. But the populations of Argentina, Brazil and Australia mostly belong to the same ethnic group.
If we take into account not the total area of the territory, but the land area, then China will come in second place, after Russia, and Canada will become the “bronze medalist”. The fact is that the territory of Canada includes many inland bodies of water - primarily Hudson Bay, as well as lakes Manitoba, Winnipeg, Athabasca, Great Slave, etc. China does not have extensive inland water basins.
In the ten largest countries in the world, serious contrasts can be observed in the degree of population of the territory. High population density (more than 100 people/km2) in India and China. At the same time, in four countries (Russia, Kazakhstan, Canada, Australia) the average population density does not reach 10 people/km2.
Despite the fact that Russia is the largest country in the world by territory, the length of land borders (but not the number of neighboring countries) is greater in China, and the length of the coastline is greater in Canada. The fact that the length of the coast is so significant (six equators!) is to blame for the numerous islands of the Canadian Arctic archipelago and the heavily indented coasts of this country.
29 countries have an area of over 1 million km2.
Name |
Area, thousand km 2 |
Land area, thousand km 2 |
Population density, people/km 2 |
Length of land borders, km |
Coastline length, km |
Brazil |
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Australia |
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Argentina |
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Kazakhstan |
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* Caspian and Aral seas.
The ten largest countries in the world can be identified in several categories.
- Typically, such states are those that are located in the largest areas. With this classification, of course, the Russian Federation will take first place.
- You can also determine the largest countries in the world by population. In this case, the title of the largest state will go to China, because this country is home to 1.2 billion people.
- Sometimes the largest states are considered most economically developed countries who jointly pursue their policies are the so-called “G8 Countries” - England, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Japan and Russia, and, of course, the United States of America - the state with the highest economic indicators in the world.
the site decided to compile its own rating and determine the largest countries by area. The top ten list includes countries from different continents. Five countries are located on the American continent, four states are in Eurasia, and one is in Africa. The most common language of communication in some of these states is English. It is used in the United States, Canada, Australia and India. In our country and Kazakhstan they use Russian.
1 place. Russian Federation, area - 17,126,122 km²
In terms of territory, our country loses only to the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans. The area of Russia, including Crimea, is 17,126,122 km². Thus, Russia occupies approximately 11.41% of the total land area of the earth, and about 12.5% of the planet's lands inhabited by people.
2nd place. Canada, area - 9,984,670 km²
Canada ranks next. This country is located on approximately 40% of the territory of the entire continent of North America and occupies 9,984,670 km². 9,093,507 km² - land area, which is 6.1% of the land area of our entire planet. In other words, Canada is almost 1.7 times smaller than Russia. By the way, it is on the territory of this country that the northernmost point in the world where people still live is located - this is the Canadian Armed Forces Alert station, which is located only 834 km from the North Pole.
3rd place. China, area - 9,596,960 km²
China is located on an area of 9,596,960 km², of which 9,326,410 km² is land (6.26% of the Earth's total land area). The People's Republic of China is also the largest country in the world in terms of population. In 2009, about 1 billion 339 million people officially lived in it. Sometimes the third largest country in the world is called the United States of America.
4th place. United States of America, area - 9,518,900 km²
In Russian sources, it is customary to place the United States in fourth place in the list of largest countries and consider its area to be 9,518,900 km². However, there are materials in English (for example, CIA The World Factbook), in which the area of America is approximately equal to 9,826,630 km², where 9,161,923 km² is land area (6.15% of the planet's land area), which places it in third place according to the size of the territory. In addition, America is the third most populous country in the world.
5th place. Brazil, area - 8,511,965 km²
It is the most populous and largest state on the South American continent, occupying almost half of its area. Brazil is located on 8,511,965 km², 8,456,510 land areas, which is equal to 5.67% of the planet's total land area. Brazil is also one of the most populous countries in the world, with approximately 198.7 million inhabitants in 2009.
6th place. Australia, area - 7,686,850 km²
Sixth place in our ranking is occupied by Australia, the only state in the world that occupies an entire continent. Australia is located on 7,686,850 km², of which 7,617,930 km² is land, which is about 5.1% of the planet's total land area.
7th place. India, area - 3,287,590 km²
India is in seventh place in the ranking of the largest countries, occupying an area of 3,287,590 km², including 2,973,190 km² of land. In other words, its share is 2% of the entire landmass of the Earth. In addition, India is the second most populous country after China, its population is 1166.1 million people.
8th place. Argentina, area - 2,776,890 km²
After Brazil, Argentina ranks second in terms of territory and population on the South American continent. Its area is 2,776,890 km², 2,736,690 km² of land is on land, which is 1.8% of the entire land surface of the planet. The population of the Argentine state in 2009 was 40.9 million people.
9th place. Kazakhstan, area - 2,717,300 km²
Kazakhstan occupies 2,717,300 km², of which 2,669,800 km² is land, which corresponds to 1.8% of the planet’s land areas. A huge part of the territory of Kazakhstan - 58% - is deserts and semi-deserts.
10th place. Algeria, area - 2,381,740 km²
Algeria, with its 2,381,740 km², is the largest country in North Africa. Most of the country's territory lies in the Sahara Desert (80% of the total area).
P.S. 15th place. Sudan, area - 1,886,068 km²
In the northeast of the African continent there is another large state of this continent - Sudan. It covers an area of 1,886,068 km². In addition, this state is the fifth largest in Africa in terms of population.
You may ask, why include 15th place in the TOP 10? The fact is that not so long ago it was Sudan that occupied tenth place in the ranking of the largest countries in the world by area, but now it is only 15th. 
9th place: - a state with an area of 2,724,902 km², located in the center of Eurasia, most of which belongs to Asia, and the smaller part to Europe. Kazakhstan is the fourth largest country in Asia by area.
8th place: - a state in South America with an area of 2,766,890 km². Argentina is the second largest country in South America. Argentina claims part of the territory of Antarctica, but it is not included in the total territory of the country, because According to international standards, Antarctica is neutral territory.
7th place: - a state in South Asia with an area of 3,287,263 km². India is the third largest country in Asia by territory.
6th place: - a state in the Southern Hemisphere, occupying the mainland of Australia, the island of Tasmania and several other islands of the Indian and Pacific oceans. The area of Australia is 7,692,024 km².
5th place: - a state in South America with an area of 8,514,877 km². Brazil - largest country in South America by area.
4th place: USA- the second largest state in North America. You can find different data on the area of the United States. The CIA World Factbook puts the figure at 9,826,675 km², which puts the United States in third place in terms of territory among countries in the world, but the CIA data takes into account the area of territorial waters (5.6 km from the coasts). Encyclopedia Britannica indicates the area of the United States excluding territorial and coastal waters - 9,526,468 km². Thus, the USA is still smaller than China in area.
3rd place: - a state in East Asia with an area of 9,598,077 km² (including Hong Kong and Macau). China is the second largest country in Asia.
2nd place: Canada is the largest country in North America by territory with an area of 9,984,670 km².
The largest country in the world by territory is Russia, its area for 2019 is 17,124,442 km² (including Crimea) . Russia is located in Europe and Asia at the same time. The area of the European part of Russia is about 3.986 million km², which is 7 times larger than the area of the second European country in terms of this indicator - Ukraine. The European part of Russia makes up about 40% of the territory of all Europe. 77% of Russia's territory is located in Asia; the Asian part of Russia has an area of 13.1 million km², which is also noticeably larger than the area of any Asian country. Thus,Russia is the largest country in both Europe and Asia.
Map of Russia in 2019 (with Crimea):
Russia (with Crimea) on the globe:
The largest states by area by continent and part of the world
The largest country in Asia is Russia (the area of the Asian part of Russia is 13.1 million km²)
The largest country in Europe is Russia (the area of the European part of Russia is 3.986 million km²)
The largest country in Africa is Algeria (area 2.38 million km²)
The largest country in South America is Brazil (area 8.51 million km²)
The largest country in North America is Canada (area 9.98 million km²)
The largest country in Oceania is Australia (area 7.69 million km²)
The largest countries in the world by population
10th place: Mexico - population 126.6 million people.
8th place: Bangladesh is a state in South Asia with a population of 169.5 million people.
7th place: Nigeria is a state in West Africa with a population of 198.6 million people.
6th place: Brazil - population 209.9 million people.
5th place: Pakistan is a state in South Asia with a population of 212.7 million people.
4th place: Indonesia is a state in Southeast Asia with a population of 266.3 million people.
3rd place: USA - population 327.2 million people.
2nd place: India - population 1.309 billion people.
The largest country in the world by population is China. Population - 1,400 billion people. But, according to scientists, China will lose its leadership in this indicator in 2022, because... it will be surpassed by India, which has higher population growth rates. As of May 2019, India's population is 93.5% of China's population.
The largest states by population by continent and part of the world
The largest country in Asia by population is China (1,400 billion people)
The largest country in Europe by population is Russia (the population of the European part of Russia is 114 million people)
The largest country in Africa by population is Nigeria (198.6 million people)
The largest country in South America by population is Brazil (209.9 million people)
The largest country in North America by population is the USA (327.2 million people)
The largest country in Oceania by population is Australia (25.2 million people)
