You are on page 1of 11

Q.

3: List the Top 10 Largest Countries of the world with


facts and figures
The world’s largest nations, measured in square kilometers of
land area.

From Cape Horn all the way to the Arctic Circle, the world’s
largest countries provide a beautiful snapshot of the variety of
geography, climate and wildlife on the planet. Collectively, the
world’s largest countries contain rainforest and tundra,
mountains and valleys, coastline and desert.
As this we explore the largest nations, we visit five different
continents, some of the world’s most spectacular geography, and
every type of climate imaginable.
Excitingly, it’s always changing, too: history has taught that
geopolitical boundaries shift dramatically as centuries pass. In
the next decades, who’s to say which countries will become the
world’s largest?
When 11.5 percent of all the land in the entire world is claimed
by just one country, it’s not surprising to learn that the tenth
largest country (Algeria) could fit into the largest (Russia) seven
times over. When all 10 of the world's largest countries are
taken together, they total 49% of the earth's entire 149 million
square kilometres of land.
10 – Algeria

The
Algerian Sahara, the largest expanse of Saharan desert.
Algeria, at 2.38 million square kilometers, is the tenth-largest
country in the world by area and the only African country in the
top 10.
Situated in Northern Africa, Algeria has a Mediterranean
coastline 998 km long. 90 percent of the country is desert, and
much of its desert regions are highly elevated. The Tell Atlas
mountain range runs along the country’s northern border, while
the interior, much of it hundreds of meters above sea level,
contains the Algerian portion of the Sahara desert. The massive
Algerian Sahara extends all the way to the south of the country
past its borders with Niger and Mali.

9 – Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan is
the world's largest landlocked country.
Kazakhstan’s 2.72 million square kilometers stretch over vast
plains and highlands. A cool and dry, but not quite desert-like,
climate prevails for most of the year. Kazakhstanis experience a
great range of temperatures throughout the year, though it
doesn’t get as cold in Kazakhstan as it does in parts of its
northern neighbor, Russia.
Formerly part of the USSR, the largest nation in the world for
most of the 20th century, Kazakhstan’s current main claim to
fame is its status as the largest landlocked country in the world

8 – Argentina
Argentina, the world’s 32nd most populous country, is the
world’s eighth largest, and the largest Spanish-speaking nation
in the world by area. Its 2.78 million square kilometers include
some of the most varied geography and climate in the world.
Swampy, tropical conditions in the very north give way to
freezing glacial regions in the south. Patagonia, one of the most
spectacular and dangerous places on the planet, stretches from
the southern Andes in the west to the Atlantic Ocean in the east.
The southern tip of Argentina, known as Cape Horn, is one of
the stormiest locations on the globe.

7 – India
India is the
second largest nation in terms of population, and seventh largest
in terms of area
India’s boundaries have changed quite a few times over the past
century, and even still, India claims that the northern region of
Kashmir (an area disputed with Pakistan) belongs under Indian
control completely. As it stands, without Kashmir, India’s
territory stretches for 3.29 million square kilometers.
China, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal each share a border with
India, and its geography ranges from the majestic Himalayan
Mountains to the tropical shores of the southern peninsula.
Geologically, India is found on it’s own subcontinent, and
geological studies show that this whole nation and it’s close
neighbours were at one time separated from Asia by a sea.

6 – Australia
The Twelve Apostles, Victoria State, Australia
The approximately 4.4 million square kilometer difference
between Australia and India represents the second-largest size
difference between countries ranked consecutively in the top 10.
Australia, at around 7.69 million square kilometers, is over twice
the size of India.
It’s the largest country in Oceania by far. Technically it is so
large that it doesn’t even qualify as an island, it is a continental
landmass.
The vast majority of its population live in coastal cities like
Sydney in the east and Perth in the west, and with good reason:
the Australian Outback is one of the world’s driest and hottest
regions. Along with extreme climate and geography, Australia is
known for its spectacular—and often deadly—wildlife.

5 – Brazil
Copacabana beach, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The largest country in South America at over 8.51 million
square kilometers, Brazil plays home to much of the world’s
largest rainforest, the Amazon. The Amazon is so dense and vast
that explorers and scientists have found human civilizations that
had never made contact with the outside world.
Brazil also has a lengthy Atlantic coastline on the eastern side,
which stretches approximately 8,000 km. Most of its major
cities, including Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo exist near the
coastline.

4 – People’s Republic of China


The Great Wall of China stretches along a long stretch of the
northern border of China.
China, the United States of America, and Canada each occupy
just under seven percent of the globe’s surface. Of these
three, China is the smallest—just barely—at approximately 9.6
million square kilometers. It shares a border with 14 different
countries, including Afghanistan to the east, Russia to the north,
and Vietnam to the south. It is the largest country entirely in
Asia.
Its climate and its people vary dramatically. In the north,
temperatures drop to subarctic levels, the center of the nation
holds the Gobi, the world’s 4th largest desert, and in the south
temperatures reach tropical levels regularly. With over 1.35
billion citizens, China is home to 56 recognized ethnic groups,
has the world’s 18th largest Muslim population, the 19th largest
Christian population, and with 1.9 doctors per 1000 people,
China has more doctors than the entire population of Qatar.
3 – United States of America

Long meandering rivers of North Dakota cut through plains and


canyons.
The United States, just bigger than China but slightly smaller
than Canada, occupies 9.63 million square kilometers. Bordered
by Mexico to the south, and Canada to the north, the United
States is home to a diverse array of geography and wildlife.
Two North-South features split the nation into three distinct
pieces. West of the Rocky Mountains, the Pacific states are
known for year round temperate weather and long expanses of
beach along the California coast. Sandwiched between the
Rockies and the Mississippi River, the great plains stretch
from Canada to Mexico, giving the United States one of the
world's most fertile growing areas. Lastly, the third of the nation
east of the Mississippi is the industrial and economic hub of
America, with major cities spread all along the Eastern
seaboard.
2 – Canada

The vast wilderness of Canada is popular for outdoor activity.


Canada’s 9.984 million square kilometers make it the largest
country in the western hemisphere, and its 202,080 kilometer
coastline means that it has a longer shoreline than any other
nation. With a population density of 4 people per square
kilometer, this means that each of Canada's 35 million people
could have 61 acres for themselves.
Positioned between the Arctic and the United States, Canada’s
massive frozen tundra extends into the Arctic Circle. Split
similar to the USA; in the western half of the country, the Rocky
Mountains run north to south, and prairies provide huge grain
and canola growing areas. Eastern Canada is the traditional heart
of the nation, with Toronto, Montreal, and the national capital of
Ottawa, all located in the East.

1 – Russia
Russia’s 17.1 million square kilometres easily make it the
world’s largest by area. In fact, if Russiawere to lop off 7
million square kilometers, it would still be the largest—and the
lopped-off section would rank seventh overall!

You might also like