In this article, we discuss the 25 largest countries in the world. You can skip our detailed analysis of these countries, and go directly to the 5 Largest Countries in the World.
Our home planet, with its vast array of living beings, climates, and geographical features, seems simultaneously impenetrable and rich with stories. Both the source of life force and danger, for centuries, experts have studied its peculiarities to answer questions that trace the evolution of its story. One such story is that of how modern nation-states occupy landmass on earth and populate it, sometimes seemingly against the will of the region and its hostile temperament.
The Earth has a surface area of 510,064,472 square kilometers, out of which only thirty percent is covered by land while the rest is water. Although the boundaries of the earth are ever-changing and oft-disputed, as of 2021, its land has been divided into 194 universally recognized countries as well as Antarctica. Out of these, three countries — Russia, China, and Canada — alone make up for 7.2% of the total land area. Coming fourth, Antarctica covers the second-largest amount of land individually (2.75%). According to the World Economic Forum, countries that possess more than one percent of the earth’s total surface include the United States with 1.87%, Australia with 1.51%, and Brazil with 1.67%.
Our Methodology
For our list of the world’s largest countries, we referred to the World Bank for statistics on the area occupied by the countries. It should be noted that the total area of a country includes both the total land and water reservoirs. With this in mind, let’s begin our list of the 25 largest countries in the world.
Photo by David Veksler on Unsplash
With this context in mind, let’s now discuss our list of the 25 largest countries in the world.
25 Largest Countries in the World
25. South Africa
Area:1,219,090 km2
The southernmost country in Africa, South Africa, covers a surface area of 1,219,090 km2. Its size is five times that of the United Kingdom. The interior of South Africa is mostly flat plateaus and contains three major soil regions. As a subtropical location, the country is blessed with oceans and seas on three borders.
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24. Mali
Area:1,240,190 km2
Mali is a landlocked country that is located in Western Africa, lying partially in the Saharan region and partially in the Sahelian regions. Its region is mostly flat and arid as it lies in the torrid zone and is among the hottest countries in the world. Lying between latitudes 10° and 25°N, and longitudes 13°W and 5°E, Mali has an area of 1,240,190 km2. It shares a border with Senegal in the west, Niger in the east, Ivory Coast in the south, and Mauritania in the north-west.
23. Angola
Area: 1,246,700 km2
Angola, which is also the western neighbor of South Africa, occupies a surface area of 1,246,700 km2. This surface is further divided into eighteen provinces. Its size is comparable to Mali and is twice the size of France or Texas. While it shares a border with Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola’s climate features two seasons of rainfall and drought.
22. Niger
Area: 1,267,000 km2
Named after the Niger River, it is a landlocked country in West Africa in the heart of the Sahel region with an area of 1,267,000 km2. The northern four-fifths of the country consists of deserts, while the remaining southern one-fifth comprises savannahs. Its neighbors include Benin, Algeria, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Libya, and Nigeria.
21. Chad
Area: 1,284,000 km2
Chad is a landlocked state in north-central Africa with a surface area of 1,284,000 km2. It is often called ‘the dead heart of Africa’ because of its distance from the sea. It neighbors Niger, Libya, Nigeria, Cameroon, Sudan, and the Central African Republic. A wide basin that is bounded to the north and east is its most dominant feature.
20. Peru
Area: 1,285,220 km2
Peru is located on the central western coast of South America and faces the Pacific Ocean. It has an area of 1,285,220 km2. It lies wholly in the Southern Hemisphere, as it gives company to Colombia and Ecuador in the north, Bolivia in the southeast, Brazil in the east, Chile, and the Pacific Ocean in the south.
19. Mongolia
Area: 1,564,116 km2
Landlocked between Russia and China, Mongolia is 19th on the list of the world’s largest countries, with a surface area of 1,564,116 km2. Its land ranges from the desert, semi-desert, and grassy steppe to mountains. Mongolia is referred to as the “Land of the Eternal Blue Sky” or “Country of Blue Sky” as it stays sunny for 250 days in a year.
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18. Iran
Area: 1,745,150 km2
Covering an area of 1,745,150 km2, Iran is a Southwestern Asian country that is home to 11 climates. It is bordered by Armenia and Azerbaijan, the Caspian Sea, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and Turkey.
17. Libya
Area: 1,759,540 km2
With a surface area of 1,759,540 km2, Libya is located in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea, Egypt, Sudan, Chad, Niger, Algeria, Tunisia. Its climate is extremely dry and desert-like, as most of the country lies in the Sahara Desert.
16. Sudan
Area: 1,854,105 km2
Situated in northern Africa, Sudan has a surface area of 1,854,105 km2. The Islamic country borders Egypt, South Sudan, Libya, Chad, the Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and the Red Sea. Its terrain contains flat plains, which get broken up by several mountain ranges. Desertification is a major problem for Sudan because of geological factors.
15. Indonesia
Area: 1,916,862 km2
Indonesia has a total surface area of 1,916,862 km2. Lying between latitudes 11°S and 6°N, and longitudes 95°E and 141°E, it is located off the coast of mainland Southeast Asia in the Indian and Pacific oceans. This implies that it lies along the equator because of which its climate remains even year-round and has only two seasons: a wet season and a dry season. It has a total of over seventeen thousand islands. It is also known as the world’s largest archipelagic country.
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14. Mexico
Area: 1,964,375 km2
The fourteenth largest country with a surface area of 1,964,375 km2 is bordered by the United States, the Pacific Ocean, Guatemala, Belize, the Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico. Mexico is divided into two zones: temperate and tropical zones by the Tropic of Cancer. Two mountain ranges known as Sierra Madre Oriental and Sierra Madre Occidental from North to South cross Mexico.
13. Saudi Arabia
Area: 2,149,690 km2
If you traveled the whole of Saudi Arabia, you would cover 2,149,690 km2, the most area occupied by any state from the Arabian Peninsula. It occupies the same amount of area as the size of the Mississippi River in the United States. It shares a border with Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Its land borders meet both the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea. Its terrain covers desert, lowland, and mountains.
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12. Greenland
Area: 2,166,086 km2
Unique amongst most islands, Greenland covers the most landmass with a whopping 2,166,086 km2 of surface area. The island is further famous for its enormous glaciers. It is bordered by the Greenland Sea, the North Atlantic Ocean, the Davis Strait, Baffin Bay, the Nares Strait, and the Lincoln Sea to the northwest.
11. DR Congo
Area: 2,344,860 km2
The Democratic Republic of Congo is credited as being the second-largest country in Africa with a surface area of 2,344,860 km2, which is greater than the combined areas of Spain, France, Germany, Sweden, and Norway. It shares a border with the Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia, South Sudan, the South Atlantic Ocean, and the Cabinda Province exclave of Angola. More than 200 African ethnic groups reside here.
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10. Algeria
Area: 2,381,741 km2
As the largest country in Africa, Algeria holds its position as the tenth-largest country in the world, with an area of 2,381,741 km2. It is bordered by Tunisia, Libya, Niger, Mali, Mauritania, Western Sahara, Morocco, and the Mediterranean Sea. The Sahara Desert and its extreme climate, where the hottest temperatures of earth have been documented, dominate the country.
9. Kazakhstan
Area: 2,724,902 km2
Situated in Central Asia, Kazakhstan spans a land surface of 2,724,902 km2. It shares borders with Russia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, China, and Kyrgyzstan. World-renowned for its rich mineral sources, the country overwhelms all other states in the region. Given its large surface area, its weather ranges from harsh winters to sunny summers.
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8. Argentina
Area: 2,780,400 km2
Argentina spans vast terrains of land, occupying a total area of 2,780,400 km2. This staggering statistic has bestowed it with the status of being the largest Hispanic nation-state in the modern world. Argentina shares land borders with Paraguay, Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, Bolivia, the South Atlantic Ocean, and the Drake Passage. Argentina is divided into seven zones in terms of climate and terrain. These divisions cover a vast array of geographical features, from plains and hot and cold deserts to mountains and beaches.
7. India
Area: 3,287,259 km2
Situated towards the north of the equator between 8°4′ north to 37°6′ north latitude and 68°7′ east to 97°25′ east longitude, India ranks as the seventh-largest country on earth. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea, and the Bay of Bengal, and it also shares borders with Pakistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar to the east. It is divided into six physiographic regions: Northern Mountains, Peninsular Plateau, Northern Plains, Thar Desert, Coastal Plains, and Islands.
Countries around the world are now connected to each other, thanks to companies like Zoom Video Communications Inc (NASDAQ: ZM), Uber Technologies Inc (NYSE: UBER), Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL), and Facebook, Inc. Common Stock (NASDAQ: FB).
6. Australia
Area: 7,741,220 km2
Ranking as the largest country in Oceania and the sixth-largest in the world, Australia has an area of 7,741,220 km2. Australia has very diverse geology, which ranges from snow-capped mountains to large deserts to tropical and temperate forests, grasslands, heathlands as well as woodlands. It also has the largest ocean jurisdiction of any other country.
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Disclosure: None. 25 Largest Countries in the World is originally published on Insider Monkey.
