There are states on our planet that we only heard about in geography lessons. Entire worlds with their charters, mentality, who live on the other side of the world.
They are not well known, because they do not lead an active foreign policy, the scale of their land and production within do not affect other countries.
Other countries are powerful fighters for rights, active helpers for neighboring states.
They are endowed with a huge scale of territories, they supply their "neighbors" with products and minerals. Their territory is so vast that it is difficult to imagine.
Everyone 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 scale of the area.
List of the largest countries in the world:
The first 7 countries in the list are classified as giants in terms of territory. Any state whose size exceeds 3,000,000 km² is gigantic.
The territory of Russia is the undoubted leader. Nearly twice the size of second-place Canada.
Interesting fact! Under the USSR, our territory was even larger. Its size almost reached the territory of the whole 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 expanses.
The largest countries by population
Population is another indicator. Territory and population vary greatly. The leaders of the previous table change dramatically.
The number does not depend on wealth, on the contrary: poor countries have a large number. Climate, national peculiarities, 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, because in Russia the situation is reversed.
With a high population, the birth rate in the country is at a low level. In 2016, the birth rate in Russia amounted to 12.9%, and the mortality statistics showed exactly the same.
Today, our country has an active policy to support mothers with children. New laws are being passed to improve financial situation families with children.
But, as statistics show, the point is not the material well-being of the country.
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 birth rate is taken from the same ratio.
Another surprising pattern: in these countries, the mortality rate is lower than in Russia, which occupies - attention - 201 lines in the ranking in terms 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 with it there has been a real collapse in the birth rate.
So we are still far from the indicators of Malawi and Uganda. Mortality in 2017 was 12.6%. Men don't live past 60. The female indicator is 71 years old.
Country rankings by standard of living in 2017
The effect of wealth on fertility is a dubious issue. Developed countries are known for having the smallest birth rate.
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 encourages people to leave offspring after themselves. The worse they live - the stronger desire procreate, give birth to more children to increase the likelihood of continuing life.
Developed countries provide stability, and people do not have such an instinct.
In addition to the survival instinct, the culture of the country also influences the birth rate. 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 that 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 just over 2%.
Sweden - 180th place.
Switzerland - 182nd place.
Norway - 169th place in the ranking, population growth of 4.1%.
Australia - 159th place, 4.9%. The death 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.
- 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 death rate: from 9 to 13%.
Comparative data show that the demographic state of affairs in Russia is relatively good.
Financial crisis recent years affected fertility, but the numbers give hope for a better outcome. Mortality and birth rates are at least equal. The ongoing policy of our country is aimed at preserving the nation.
Along with the birth rate, the number of marriages in Russia also 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 growth.
Useful video
There are about 250 countries and territories all over the world. Some of them occupy a very small area, while others spread over several million kilometers. And what are the largest countries in terms of territory? Where are they located and how many people inhabit them? All this will be discussed below.
It is no secret that most of the planet's territory falls on the oceans, seas, rivers and lakes. In total, they occupy about 71% of the Earth, and the remaining 29% belong to the land that people inhabit. At the same time, more than 40% of the land is the area occupied by major countries peace. There are 10 of them on the planet.
List of large countries
- So, Russia is at the head of the largest countries. Its territory is many times larger than the territory of many other countries and is 17,075,400 km2. At the same time, there are very few water bodies in the country and 16,995,800 km2 is land. Consequently, 12.5% of the Earth's land area is in Russia alone;
- In second place on this list is Canada. Its area is almost 2 times smaller than Russia - 9,984,670 km2. Of these, about 9 million square kilometers is land. Therefore, it occupies 6.1% of the earth's land;
- The third place of honor belongs to China. This amazing country owns 9,596,960 km2, of which only 200,000 are water sources, and the rest is land. Therefore, China makes up 6.26% of the land areas of the Earth. But at the same time, almost 1.5 billion people live in this territory;
- Large countries by area include the United States of America. They occupy the fourth stage and have an area of 9,518,900 km2. Of these, land accounts for approximately 9,162,000 km2, which means that America occupies 6.15% of the Earth's territory. But if we talk about the number of the American population, then the United States is in 3rd place;
- Next comes Brazil. Its area is slightly more than 8 million square kilometers, or rather, 8,511,965 km2, on which almost 200 million people live. The country of carnivals occupies 5.67% of the earth's land area;
- The next country is Australia. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that it is a separate continent and completely constitutes its territory, which extends over 7,686,850 km2. Of these, only about 67 thousand km2 falls on water sources. Therefore, Australia occupies 5.1% of the land of the entire planet;
- India rightfully took the seventh position. Its area is 3,287,590 km2, of which 2,973,190 km2 is land. Consequently, of the earth's land, 2% falls precisely on this eastern country;
- Next up is Argentina. It accounts for 1.8% of the Earth's territory, because the area of the countries is 2,776,890 km2;
- In the penultimate place - Kazakhstan. Like the previous country, it occupies 1.8% of the earth's land mass and has an area of 2,717,300 km2;
- And, finally, closes this list - Sudan. Its area is 2,505,810 km2, which corresponds to 1.6% of the land on the planet.
The Russian Federation is located on the Eurasian continent and occupies a significant part of it - almost a third of the continent. The country is in first place in terms of territory, but in terms of population density it ranks only 9th. The most populous city in Russia is its capital, Moscow. The country is divided into territories and regions, as well as into republics and autonomous regions. In total, there are 46 regions in Russia, 22 republics, 17 autonomous subjects and districts. Russia has beautiful nature, many rivers and lakes. Some rivers are known all over the world, such as the Amur, the Don or the Volga. The length of each of them is at least 10 km. On the territory of the Russian Federation there is also the deepest lake Baikal, filled with the purest water and attracting tourists from all over the world. The nature of Russia is diverse. Here you can soak up the sunny beach, take a dip in the warm southern sea or see the never-melting glaciers, feel the frost in the summer and watch the northern lights.
Russia is a neighboring country for 19 states, the border between them passes both by land and by sea
The population density in China is the highest, and the country is not only in the top three as the largest in area, but it is also one of the most densely populated.
China is located on the Eurasian continent, here its border is in contact with the borders of 14 countries, and on the other side it is washed by the waters of the Pacific Ocean. China is divided into 31 territorial entities. Of these, 22 provinces, 5 autonomous regions and 4 cities of central subordination. The capital of China is Beijing.
The country is the largest on the continent of South America and has common borders with all the countries located on it. On the east side of Brazil is the Atlantic Ocean. The name of the capital of the country is very easy to remember, as it bears the name of its state - Brazil.
Brazil is the largest supplier of sugar, oranges, wheat and soybeans in the world. The state cooperates and exports agricultural products to such countries as Russia, the USA, China, Indonesia and others.
The main attraction of Brazil are, of course, colorful carnivals. To watch this celebration, many people come from far corners of the planet. The scope of the festival is amazing: a riot of colors, feathers, sparkles - all this remains in the memory forever.
The symbol of Brazil is the statue of Christ the Savior, it is located in the city of Rio de Janeiro on top of Corcovado Mountain.
It ranks second in area in South America. The location of the country is oblong and stretches from north to south. Argentina is diverse climatic conditions and it's not surprising! Over a large area there are various natural areas. It is cold in the south of Argentina, deserts with harsh weather conditions, the north of the country is in a subtropical climate. In the west, along the border, there is the Andes mountain system, and on the east side, Argentina is washed by the Atlantic Ocean.
The largest city in Argentina is Buenos Aires, it is also the capital of the state
Sudan
The main part of the country's territory is the Darfur and Kordofan plateau, surrounded by the Central African highlands from the south, and the Ethiopian highlands from the east. The main waterway of Sudan is the famous Nile River.
The capital of Sudan occupies approximately 120 km² and, in fact, consists of three cities - Khartoum, North Khartoum and Omdurman, united into one Big city, the settlement took a common name - Khartoum.
Now the question of which is the largest country in the world should not arise. This list contains the ten largest countries by territory. If we were talking about the population, it would be completely different. After all, for example, in China on one square kilometer more than a hundred people live while in Russia there are only about a dozen.
If we talk about which is the largest country in Europe, then of the above countries, Russia, of course, occupies a significant part of Europe, but since it is located only partially on its territory, Ukraine rightfully belongs to the first place.
20. Peru is a state in South America. The capital is Lima. Area - 1,285,220 km². It is the third largest country South America.
19. Mongolia is a state in Central Asia. The capital is Ulaanbaatar. Area - 1,564,116 km².
18. Iran - a state in southwest Asia. The capital is the city of Tehran. Area - 1,648,000 km².
17. Libya - a state in North Africa on the Mediterranean coast. The capital is Tripoli. Area - 1,759,540 km².
16. Sudan - a state in East Africa. Khartoum. Area - 1,886,068 km².
15. Indonesia - a state in South- East Asia. The capital is Jakarta. Area - 1,919,440 km².
14. Mexico - a state in North America. The capital is Mexico City. Area - 1,972,550 km².
13. Saudi Arabia- the largest state in Arabian Peninsula. The capital is Riyadh. Area - 2,149,000 km².
12. Denmark is a state in Northern Europe, a senior member of the commonwealth of states, the Kingdom of Denmark, which also includes the Faroe Islands and Greenland. The capital is Copenhagen. Area - 2,210,579 km².
The territory of the island of Greenland is 98% of the territory of the Kingdom of Denmark
11. Democratic Republic of the Congo - a state in Central Africa. The capital is Kinshasa. Area - 2,345,410 km².
10. Algeria - a state in North Africa in the western Mediterranean basin. The capital is Algiers. Area - 2,381,740 km². Algeria is the largest country in Africa by area.
9. Kazakhstan is a state located in the center of Eurasia, most of which belongs to Asia, and a smaller part to Europe. The capital is Astana. Area - 2,724,902 km².
Kazakhstan is the largest country that does not have access to the oceans.
8. Argentina - a state located in the southeastern part of the mainland of South America, the eastern part of the island of Tierra del Fuego, the nearby islands of Estados and others. The capital is Buenos Aires. Area - 2,766,890 km².
7. India - a state in South Asia. The capital is New Delhi. Area - 3,287,263 km².
6. Australia - a state in the Southern Hemisphere, occupying mainland Australia, the island of Tasmania and several other islands of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The capital is Canberra. Area - 7,692,024 km².
5. Brazil - located in the eastern and central part of mainland South America. The largest state in South America by area and population. The capital is Brasilia. Area - 8,514,877 km².
The only Portuguese-speaking country in the Americas.
4. USA - a state in North America. The capital is Washington. Area - 9,519,431 km².
3. China is a state in East Asia. The capital is Beijing. Area - 9,598,077 km².
China is the largest country in the world by population - over 1.35 billion people.
2. Canada is a state in North America. The capital is Ottawa. Area - 9,984,670 km².
1. Russia is a state in Eastern Europe and North Asia. Moscow the capital. The area of Russia, taking into account the two new regions of Crimea and Sevastopol, for 2014 is 17,126,122 km².
Russia is the most big state across both Europe and Asia.
The largest states by area by continent
- Asia - Russia (the area of the Asian part of Russia is 13.1 million km²)
- Europe - Russia (the area of the European part of Russia is 3.986 million km²)
- Africa - Algeria (area 2.38 million km²)
- South America - Brazil (area 8.51 million km²)
- North America- Canada (area 9.98 million km²)
- Australia and Oceania - Australia (area 7.69 million km²)
Largest countries by population
- People's Republic of China - 1,366,659,000
- India - 1,256,585,000
- USA - 317,321,000
- Indonesia - 249 866 000
- Brazil - 201 017 953
- Pakistan - 186 977 027
- Nigeria - 173,615,000
- Bangladesh - 156 529 084
- Russia - 146,048,500 (including Crimea and Sevastopol)
- Japan - 127,100,000
- Mexico - 119 713 203
- Philippines - 99 798 635
- Ethiopia - 93 877 025
- Vietnam - 92 477 857
- Egypt - 85,402,000
- Germany - 80 523 746
- Iran - 77 549 005
- Turkey - 76 667 864
- Thailand - 70 498 494
- Democratic Republic of the Congo - 67,514,000
33% of the world's population lives in China and India (1st and 2nd places), another 33% in the following 15 countries (from 3rd to 17th places)
Largest states by population by continent
- Asia - China (1,366,659,000)
- Europe - Russia (population of the European part of Russia - 114,200,000)
- Africa - Nigeria (173,615,000)
- South America - Brazil (201 017 953)
- North America - USA (317,321,000)
- Australia and Oceania - Australia (24,104,000)
On our entire planet, there are about 200 countries and territories that are located on 148,940,000 sq. km of land. Some of the states occupy a small area (Monaco 2 sq. km), while others spread over several million square kilometers. It is noteworthy that the largest states occupied about 50% of the land.
2,382,740 sq. km.
(ANDR) ranks tenth among the largest countries in the world and is the largest state on the African continent. The capital of the state is called the country - Algiers. The area of the state is 2,381,740 sq. km. It is washed by the Mediterranean Sea, and most of the territory is occupied by the largest desert in the world, the Sahara.
2,724,902 sq. km.
It ranks ninth in the ranking of countries with the largest territory. Its area is 2,724,902 sq. km. This is the largest state that does not have access to the oceans. The country owns part of the Caspian Sea and the inland Aral Sea. Kazakhstan has land borders with four Asian countries and Russia. The border area with Russia is one of the longest in the world. Most of the territory is occupied by deserts and steppes. The population of the country as of 2016 is 17,651,852 people. The capital is the city of Astana - one of the most populated in Kazakhstan.
2,780,400 sq. km.
(2,780,400 sq. km.) belongs to the eighth place among the largest countries in the world and the second place in South America. The capital of the state, Buenos Aires is the most Big City Argentina. The territory of the country is stretched from north to south. This causes a variety of natural and climatic zones. The Andes mountain system stretches along the western border, the Atlantic Ocean washes the eastern part. The north of the country is located in a subtropical climate, in the south there are cold deserts with severe weather conditions. The name of Argentina was given in the 16th century by the Spaniards, who assumed that its bowels contain a large amount of silver (argentum - translated as silver). The colonists were wrong, there was very little silver.
3,287,590 sq. km.
It is located on an area of 3,287,590 sq. km. She takes second place by population(1,283,455,000 people), yielding primacy to China and seventh place among the largest states in the world. Its shores are washed by the warm waters of the Indian Ocean. The country got its name from the Indus River, on the banks of which the first settlements appeared. Before British colonization, India was the richest country in the world. It was there that Columbus sought to get in search of wealth, but ended up in America. The official capital of the country is New Delhi.
7,686,859 sq. km.
(Union of Australia) is located on the mainland of the same name and occupies its entire territory. The state also occupies the island of Tasmania and other islands of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The total area on which Australia is located is 7,686,850 sq. km. The capital of the state is the city of Canberra - the largest in Australia. Most of the country's water bodies are salty. The largest salt lake is Eyre. The mainland is washed Indian Ocean and the seas of the Pacific Ocean.
8,514,877 sq. km.
- the largest state of the continent of South America, is located in fifth place in terms of the size of the occupied territory in the world. On an area of 8,514,877 sq. km. 203,262,267 citizens live. The capital bears the name of the country - Brazil (Brazilia) and is one of the largest cities in the state. Brazil borders all the states of South America and is washed by Atlantic Ocean from the east side.
9,519,431 sq. km.
USA(USA) is one of the largest states located on the mainland of North America. Its total area is 9,519,431 sq. km. The United States ranks fourth in terms of area and third in terms of population in the world. The number of living citizens is 321,267,000 people. The capital of the state is Washington. The country is divided into 50 states, and Columbia is a federal district. The US borders Canada, Mexico and Russia. The territory is washed by three oceans: the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Arctic.
9,598,962 sq. km.
(People's Republic of China) tops the top three with the largest area. This is not only a country with one of the largest areas, but also with a huge population, the number of which is in first place in the world. On the territory of 9,598,962 sq. km. 1,374,642,000 people live. China is located on the Eurasian continent and borders 14 countries. The part of the mainland where the PRC is located is washed by Pacific Ocean and seas. The capital of the state is Beijing. The state includes 31 territorial entities: 22 provinces, 4 cities of central subordination ("mainland China") and 5 autonomous regions.
9,984,670 sq. km.
With an area of 9,984,670 sq. km. ranks second in the ranking largest states in the world by territory. It is located on the mainland of North America, and is washed by three oceans: the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic. Canada borders the United States, Denmark and France. The state includes 13 territorial entities, of which 10 are called provinces, and 3 - territories. The population of the country is 34,737,000 people. The capital of Canada is Ottawa, one of the largest cities in the country. Conventionally, the state is divided into four parts: the Canadian Cordillera, the elevated plain of the Canadian Shield, the Appalachians and the Great Plains. Canada is called the land of lakes, the most popular of them is the Upper, whose area measures 83,270 square meters (the largest freshwater lake in the world), as well as the Bear, which is in the TOP-10 of the largest lakes in the world.
17,125,407 sq. km.
(Russian Federation) occupies a leading position among the largest countries in terms of area. The Russian Federation is located on an area of 17,125,407 sq. km on the largest continent of Eurasia and occupies a third of it. Despite its vast territory, Russia occupies only the ninth place in terms of population density, the number of which is 146,267,288. The capital of the state is the city of Moscow - this is the most populated part of the country. The Russian Federation includes 46 regions, 22 republics and 17 subjects, referred to as territories, cities of federal significance and autonomous regions. The country borders on 17 states by land and 2 by sea (USA and Japan). In Russia, there are more than a hundred rivers, the length of which exceeds 10 kilometers - these are the Amur, Don, Volga and others. In addition to rivers, more than 2 million fresh and salt water bodies are located on the territory of the country. One of the most famous, Baikal is the deepest lake in the world. highest point State is Mount Elbrus, whose height is about 5.5 km.
The territory of our planet is divided into countries. Each state has its own history, language, traditions, territory ... The borders of countries are clearly defined. Borders are both land and sea. There are also neutral territories. If you look into history, you can see how modern countries were created, alliances were formed, and now non-existing states, cities, peoples went into oblivion. There are currently 251 countries on our planet.
The territory occupied by the country is of great importance for its development, cultural characteristics and economic opportunities. Great importance has a location, climate, the presence of natural resources, and much more, including the size of the territory occupied by one country.
As you know, the largest country in the world is Russia. The territory of Russia is about 17,098,242 km2. The capital of Russia is Moscow. In second place is Canada. Canada is already much smaller at 9,976,139 km2. Capital of Canada: Ottawa. In third place is the United States, not so far gone third place from second. The United States covers an area of 9,826,675 km2. The capital of the USA is Washington.
| Place of the country in the ranking | Country name | Capital | Continent | Area in sq. km. |
| 1 | Russia | Moscow | Europe | 17 098 242 |
| 2 | Canada | Ottawa | North America | 9 984 670 |
| 3 | USA | Washington | North America | 9 826 675 |
| 4 | China | Beijing | Asia | 9 596 961 |
| 5 | Brazil | Brazil | South America | 8 514 877 |
| 6 | Australia | Canberra | Oceania | 7 741 220 |
| 7 | India | New Delhi | Asia | 3 287 263 |
| 8 | Argentina | Buenos Aires | South America | 2 780 400 |
| 9 | Kazakhstan | Astana | Asia | 2 724 900 |
| 10 | Algeria | Algeria | Africa | 2 381 741 |
