The statistic shows the 30 largest countries in the world by area. Russia is the largest country by far, with a total area of about 17 million square kilometers.

Population of Russia

Despite its large area, Russia - nowadays the largest country in the world - has a relatively small total population. However, its population is still rather large in numbers in comparison to those of other countries. In mid-2014, it was ranked ninth on a list of countries with the largest population, a ranking led by China with a population of over 1.37 billion people. In 2015, the estimated total population of Russia amounted to around 146 million people. The aforementioned low population density in Russia is a result of its vast landmass; in 2014, there were only around 8.78 inhabitants per square kilometer living in the country. Most of the Russian population lives in the nation’s capital and largest city, Moscow: In 2015, over 12 million people lived in the metropolis.

Russia is the largest country in Europe, and also the largest in the world, its total size amounting to 17 million square kilometers (km2). It should be noted, however, that over three quarters of Russia is located in Asia, and the Ural mountains are often viewed as the meeting point of the two continents in Russia; nonetheless, European Russia is still significantly larger than any other European country. Ukraine, the second largest country on the continent, is only 603,000 km2, making it about 28 times smaller than its eastern neighbor, or seven times smaller than the European part of Russia. France is the third largest country in Europe, but the largest in the European Union. The Vatican City, often referred to as the Holy Sea, is both the smallest country in Europe and in the world, at just one km2. Population Russia is also the most populous country in Europe. It has around 144 million inhabitants across the country; in this case, around three quarters of the population live in the European part, which still gives it the largest population in Europe. Despite having the largest population, Russia is a very sparsely populated country due to its size and the harsh winters. Germany is the second most populous country in Europe, with 83 million inhabitants, while the Vatican has the smallest population. Worldwide, India and China are the most populous countries, with approximately 1.4 billion inhabitants each. Cities Moscow in Russia is ranked as the most populous city in Europe with around 13 million inhabitants, although figures vary, due to differences in the methodologies used by countries and sources. Some statistics include Istanbul in Turkey* as the largest city in Europe with its 15 million inhabitants, bit it has been excluded here as most of the country and parts of the city is located in Asia. Worldwide, Tokyo is the most populous city, with Jakarta the second largest and Delhi the third.

The statistic shows the largest countries in South America, based on land area. Brazil is the largest country by far, with a total area of over 8.5 million square kilometers, followed by Argentina, with almost 2.8 million square kilometers.

Based on land area, Brazil is the largest country in Latin America by far, with a total area of over 8.5 million square kilometers. Argentina follows with almost 2.8 million square kilometers. Cuba, whose surface area extends over almost 111,000 square kilometers, is the Caribbean country with the largest territory.

Brazil: a country with a lot to offer

Brazil's borders reach nearly half of the South American subcontinent, making it the fifth-largest country in the world and the third-largest country in the Western Hemisphere. Along with its landmass, Brazil also boasts the largest population and economy in the region. Although Brasília is the capital, the most significant portion of the country's population is concentrated along its coastline in the cities of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

South America: a region of extreme geographic variation

With the Andes mountain range in the West, the Amazon Rainforest in the East, the Equator in the North, and Cape Horn as the Southern-most continental tip, South America has some of the most diverse climatic and ecological terrains in the world. At its core, its biodiversity can largely be attributed to the Amazon, the world's largest tropical rainforest, and the Amazon river, the world's largest river. However, with this incredible wealth of ecology also comes great responsibility. In the past decade, roughly 80,000 square kilometers of the Brazilian Amazon were destroyed. And, as of late 2019, there were at least 1,000 threatened species in Brazil alone.

Russia was the largest country in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) region, with a total area of over 17 million square kilometers in 2024. Furthermore, Russia was the largest country in the world, followed by Canada, the United States, and China. Ranking second among the CIS countries was Kazakhstan, whose land area comprised about 2.7 million square kilometers.

Algeria is the biggest country in Africa, with an area exceeding 2.38 million square kilometers as of 2020. The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sudan follow with a total area of around 2.34 million and 1.88 million square kilometers, respectively. On the other hand, Seychelles is the smallest country on the continent, with an area of only 460 square kilometers. Overall, Africa’s total area exceeds 30 million square kilometers, being the second largest continent in the world after Asia. Nigeria and Ethiopia lead the ranking of the most populated countries in Africa.

How have the African countries been formed?

The political geography of Africa has been influenced by its colonial history. Between the 19th and 20th Century, the European colonizers have divided up Africa. The partition of the territories was merely driven by strategic purposes: Borders between countries were artificially created in the absence of a geographic border. Following the decolonization, most countries gained their independence in the second half of the 1900s. The newest country in Africa is South Sudan, which became independent in 2011.

Africa's physical geography

Geographically, the African continent is mostly constituted by plains and tablelands. Inner plateaus are prevalent in the sub-Saharan region. In the center-north, the arid Sahara Desert extends for around nine million square kilometers, being the largest subtropical desert in the world. The continent also has some of the biggest water basins worldwide, namely the Nile, Congo, and Niger rivers. East Africa has, instead, the highest summit on the continent, the Kilimanjaro. Peaking at 5,895 meters, the mountain dominates Tanzania’s landscape and attracts thousands of climbers each year.

Large Scale International Boundaries

Version 11.1 Release Date: August 22, 2022

Overview

The Office of the Geographer and Global Issues at the U.S. Department of State produces the Large Scale International Boundaries (LSIB) dataset. These data and their derivatives are the only international boundary lines approved for U.S. Government use. They reflect U.S. Government policy, and not necessarily de facto limits of control. This dataset is a National Geospatial Data Asset.

Details

Sources for these data include treaties, relevant maps, and data from boundary commissions and national mapping agencies. Where available, the dataset incorporates information from courts, tribunals, and international arbitrations. The research and recovery of the data involves analysis of satellite imagery and elevation data. Due to the limitations of source materials and processing techniques, most lines are within 100 meters of their true position on the ground.

Attributes

The dataset uses the following attributes: Attribute Name Explanation Country Code Country-level codes are from the Geopolitical Entities, Names, and Codes Standard (GENC). The Q2 code denotes a line representing a boundary associated with an area not in GENC. Country Names Names approved by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN). Names for lines associated with a Q2 code are descriptive and are not necessarily BGN-approved. Label Required text label for the line segment where scale permits Rank/Status Rank 1: International Boundary Rank 2: Other Line of International Separation Rank 3: Special Line Notes Explanation of any applicable special circumstances Cartographic Usage Depiction of the LSIB requires a visual differentiation between the three categories of boundaries: International Boundaries (Rank 1), Other Lines of International Separation (Rank 2), and Special Lines (Rank 3). Rank 1 lines must be the most visually prominent. Rank 2 lines must be less visually prominent than Rank 1 lines. Rank 3 lines must be shown in a manner visually subordinate to Ranks 1 and 2. Where scale permits, Rank 2 and 3 lines must be labeled in accordance with the “Label” field. Data marked with a Rank 2 or 3 designation does not necessarily correspond to a disputed boundary. Additional cartographic information can be found in Guidance Bulletins (https://hiu.state.gov/data/cartographic_guidance_bulletins/) published by the Office of the Geographer and Global Issues. Please direct inquiries to internationalboundaries@state.gov.

Credits

The lines in the LSIB dataset are the product of decades of collaboration between geographers at the Department of State and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency with contributions from the Central Intelligence Agency and the UK Defence Geographic Centre. Attribution is welcome: U.S. Department of State, Office of the Geographer and Global Issues.

Changes from Prior Release

This version of the LSIB contains changes and accuracy refinements for the following line segments. These changes reflect improvements in spatial accuracy derived from newly available source materials, an ongoing review process, or the publication of new treaties or agreements. Changes to lines include: • Akrotiri (UK) / Cyprus • Albania / Montenegro • Albania / Greece • Albania / North Macedonia • Armenia / Turkey • Austria / Czechia • Austria / Slovakia • Austria / Hungary • Austria / Slovenia • Austria / Germany • Austria / Italy • Austria / Switzerland • Azerbaijan / Turkey • Azerbaijan / Iran • Belarus / Latvia • Belarus / Russia • Belarus / Ukraine • Belarus / Poland • Bhutan / India • Bhutan / China • Bulgaria / Turkey • Bulgaria / Romania • Bulgaria / Serbia • Bulgaria / Romania • China / Tajikistan • China / India • Croatia / Slovenia • Croatia / Hungary • Croatia / Serbia • Croatia / Montenegro • Czechia / Slovakia • Czechia / Poland • Czechia / Germany • Finland / Russia • Finland / Norway • Finland / Sweden • France / Italy • Georgia / Turkey • Germany / Poland • Germany / Switzerland • Greece / North Macedonia • Guyana / Suriname • Hungary / Slovenia • Hungary / Serbia • Hungary / Romania • Hungary / Ukraine • Iran / Turkey • Iraq / Turkey • Italy / Slovenia • Italy / Switzerland • Italy / Vatican City • Italy / San Marino • Kazakhstan / Russia • Kazakhstan / Uzbekistan • Kosovo / north Macedonia • Kosovo / Serbia • Kyrgyzstan / Tajikistan • Kyrgyzstan / Uzbekistan • Latvia / Russia • Latvia / Lithuania • Lithuania / Poland • Lithuania / Russia • Moldova / Ukraine • Moldova / Romania • Norway / Russia • Norway / Sweden • Poland / Russia • Poland / Ukraine • Poland / Slovakia • Romania / Ukraine • Romania / Serbia • Russia / Ukraine • Syria / Turkey • Tajikistan / Uzbekistan

This release also contains topology fixes, land boundary terminus refinements, and tripoint adjustments.

Copyright Notice and Disclaimer

While U.S. Government works prepared by employees of the U.S. Government as part of their official duties are not subject to Federal copyright protection (see 17 U.S.C. § 105), copyrighted material incorporated in U.S. Government works retains its copyright protection. The works on or made available through download from the U.S. Department of State’s website may not be used in any manner that infringes any intellectual property rights or other proprietary rights held by any third party. Use of any copyrighted material beyond what is allowed by fair use or other exemptions may require appropriate permission from the relevant rightsholder. With respect to works on or made available through download from the U.S. Department of State’s website, neither the U.S. Government nor any of its agencies, employees, agents, or contractors make any representations or warranties—express, implied, or statutory—as to the validity, accuracy, completeness, or fitness for a particular purpose; nor represent that use of such works would not infringe privately owned rights; nor assume any liability resulting from use of such works; and shall in no way be liable for any costs, expenses, claims, or demands arising out of use of such works.

The international land border between the United States and Canada is the longest in the world at almost 8,900 kilometers. It includes the border between Canada and the continental U.S. as well as the border between Alaska and northern Canada.

Cuba is the largest island country or territory in the Caribbean, with a total area of almost 111 thousand square kilometers, followed by the Dominican Republic, with nearly 49 thousand square kilometers.

In 2022, India overtook China as the world's most populous country and now has almost 1.46 billion people. China now has the second-largest population in the world, still with just over 1.4 billion inhabitants, however, its population went into decline in 2023. Global population As of 2025, the world's population stands at almost 8.2 billion people and is expected to reach around 10.3 billion people in the 2080s, when it will then go into decline. Due to improved healthcare, sanitation, and general living conditions, the global population continues to increase; mortality rates (particularly among infants and children) are decreasing and the median age of the world population has steadily increased for decades. As for the average life expectancy in industrial and developing countries, the gap has narrowed significantly since the mid-20th century. Asia is the most populous continent on Earth; 11 of the 20 largest countries are located there. It leads the ranking of the global population by continent by far, reporting four times as many inhabitants as Africa. The Demographic Transition The population explosion over the past two centuries is part of a phenomenon known as the demographic transition. Simply put, this transition results from a drastic reduction in mortality, which then leads to a reduction in fertility, and increase in life expectancy; this interim period where death rates are low and birth rates are high is where this population explosion occurs, and population growth can remain high as the population ages. In today's most-developed countries, the transition generally began with industrialization in the 1800s, and growth has now stabilized as birth and mortality rates have re-balanced. Across less-developed countries, the stage of this transition varies; for example, China is at a later stage than India, which accounts for the change in which country is more populous - understanding the demographic transition can help understand the reason why China's population is now going into decline. The least-developed region is Sub-Saharan Africa, where fertility rates remain close to pre-industrial levels in some countries. As these countries transition, they will undergo significant rates of population growth

The smallest country in the world is Vatican City, with a landmass of just 0.49 square kilometers (0.19 square miles). Vatican City is an independent state surrounded by Rome. Vatican City is not the only small country located inside Italy. San Marino is another microstate, with a land area of 60 square kilometers, making it the fifth-smallest country in the world. Many of these small nations have equally small populations, typically less than half a million inhabitants. However, the population of Singapore is almost six million, and is the twentieth smallest country in the world with a land area of 726 square kilometers. In comparison, Jamaica is almost eight times larger than Singapore, but has half the population.

With 450,295 square kilometers, Sweden is the largest Nordic country by area size, followed by Finland and Norway. This makes it the fifth largest country in Europe. Meanwhile, Denmark is the smallest of the five Nordic countries with only 43,094 square kilometers, however, the Danish autonomous region of Greenland is significantly larger than any of the Nordic countries, and is almost double the size of the other five combined.

Population

Sweden is also the Nordic country with the largest population. 10.45 million people live in the country. Denmark, Finland, and Norway all have between five and six million inhabitants, whereas only 370,000 people live in Iceland. Meanwhile, Denmark has the highest population density of the five countries. Greenland is the most sparsely populated permanently-inhabited country in the world, followed by the regions of Svalbard and Jan Mayen.

Geography

The five Nordic countries vary geographically. While Denmark is mostly flat, its highest point only stretching around 170 meters above sea level, Norway's highest peak is nearly 2,500 meters high. Moreover, Finland is known for its many lakes and is often called the land of a thousand lakes, whereas Iceland is famous for its volcanoes.

Monaco led the ranking for countries with the highest population density in 2024, with nearly 26,000 residents per square kilometer. The Special Administrative Region Macao came in second, followed by Singapore. The world’s second smallest country Monaco is the world’s second smallest country, with an area of about two square kilometers, and its population only numbers around 40,000. It is a constitutional monarchy located by the Mediterranean Sea, and while Monaco is not part of the European Union, it does participate in some EU policies. The country is perhaps most famous for the Monte Carlo casino and for hosting the Monaco Grand Prix, the world's most prestigious Formula One race. The global population Globally, the population density per square kilometer stands at about 60 inhabitants, and Asia is the most densely populated region in the world. The global population is increasing rapidly, so population density is only expected to increase as well. In 1950, for example, the global population stood at about 2.54 billion people, and it reached over eight billion during 2023.

Suriname and French Guyana are the countries with the largest forest area as a percentage of their respective total land area. As of 2020, some 97 percent of the countries' territories was covered by forests. This was followed by neighboring Guyana, where roughly 94 percent of total land is overlaid by forests. Comparatively, as the largest country in the world, Russia was also the country with the greatest forest area, at over 800 million hectares.

The largest of the three Scandinavian countries is Norway, with a surface of 625,222 square kilometers, when including the arctic islands of Svalbard and Jan Mayen. Without these, Norway's total area size amounts to 385,207 square kilometers. Its neighboring country Sweden has a size of approximately 447,000 square kilometers, whereas Denmark is significantly smaller at around 43,000 square kilometers. Greenland, an autonomous area under the Kingdom of Denmark, has an ice-free surface of 410,450 km2, but its total area amounts to 2.67 million km2, making it the largest island in the world.

Before the Second World War, the Soviet Union was the largest individual world power in terms of territory, at over 21 million square kilometers. When the territories of the United Kingdom it's colonies and dominions are combined, then the expanse of the British Empire totaled at almost 35 million square kilometers, making it larger than the USSR.

The Axis Powers, led by Germany, Italy, and Japan, controlled a much smaller share of the globe than the Allied Powers in 1938 - however, by 1941, the majority of Europe was under (German-led) Axis control, while Japan had taken much of the Western territories in Asia and had pushed further into China. Italy had also sought to consolidate its power in North and East Africa at this time, but was largely contained by British Commonwealth Forces. Although 1941 and 1942 marked the largest territorial gains for the Axis Powers in Europe and Asia, Italy had lost virtually all of its African colonies by the end of 1942, which totaled at just under 3.5 million square kilometers of land. Late 1942 also marked the turning point in the war in the other theaters, where the Soviet counteroffensive started pushing the German lines back in Europe, while American and Commonwealth Forces began pushing the Japanese north through the Asia-Pacific at the end of the year. The war in Europe ended in May, 1945, and in the Pacific in September, 1945.

Russia had the largest forest area in the world in 2021, amounting to around 815 million hectares, more than twice that of Canada, whose forest area amounted to 347 million hectares. The forestry industry in Canada With the third largest forest area in the world, Canada’s forestry industry is a significant contributor to the country’s gross domestic product. In 2021, the nominal GDP of Canada’s forest industry reached more than 34 billion Canadian dollars, with the wood product manufacturing sector alone contributing around 19.8 billion Canadian dollars in nominal GDP. A comparison of Canadian provinces shows that British Colombia has the largest forestry and logging industry in the country, followed by Quebec and Ontario. The Amazon rainforest in Brazil Brazil has the second largest forest area in the world after Russia, with total forest areas in the South American country amounting to approximately 494 million hectares in 2022. This is largely because around 62 percent of the Amazon rainforest is located in Brazil. The Amazon rainforest is the world’s largest rainforest, what some call “the lungs of the planet”. However, in recent years, deforestation has been a salient issue in the Amazon, with illegal logging and wildfires raging across the rainforest have contributed to very high deforestation rates. Indeed, around 8,000 square kilometers were destroyed in the Brazilian Amazon in 2023. Deforestation and its impact on climate change has spurred opposition to the logging industry, which was the sector responsible for the most killings of environmental activists in 2021.

The largest of all Nordic countries is Sweden with a size of approximately 447,000 square kilometers. Finland follows in second with a surface area of more than 338,000 square kilometers. The mainland area of Norway amounts to 324,000 square kilometers, but if the islands of Svalbard and Jan Mayen are included, it reaches 625,000 square kilometers. The ice-free area of Greenland, which is an autonomous region under the Kingdom of Denmark, is 410,000 square kilometers, but in total, it has a land area of 2.67 million square kilometers, making it the largest island in the world.

In 2025, it was the United States that led the world in research capacity on AI. And led with a lead of nearly 50 points beyond its nearest competitor, China. Across the globe, no other nation comes close to the U.S. research capacity in AI.

Computer science still male-driven Research requires educated and skilled individuals to do it and in the modern world, computer science education is still male-dominated. Both in Europe and the United States, it is males that trend far more towards bachelor’s degrees in computer science. However, females had a higher trend toward masters in this field in Europe, whereas, in the United States, their share was similar to their share of bachelor's degrees. U.S. tech giants play a significant role One primary driver of the United States' significant lead over other nations is the fact that it houses the largest tech companies on earth. Counting giants such as Microsoft, Google, Apple, and Amazon, the country has ample funds in private hands to drive AI research even without the enormous budget of the U.S. government.

In 2020, China accounted for the highest share of land area used for mining activities of any country in the world, with an estimated 11.5 percent of the total mining land area worldwide. Australia and the United States followed, with 11.3 and 11.2 percent shares of the total global land area for mining, respectively.