The 10 Largest Countries in the World by Land Area

### Q: What is the largest country in the world by land area? A: Russia is the largest country in the world by land area, covering over 17 million square kilometers, spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia.

### Q: Which continent has the most large countries? A: Asia and North America both feature prominently among the world's largest countries. Russia spans both Europe and Asia, while Canada and the United States are the two largest countries in North America.

### Q: Why is 'land area' specified instead of just 'area'? A: Specifying 'land area' distinguishes it from 'total area,' which might include internal waters (like lakes and rivers). This list focuses solely on the terrestrial expanse of each nation.

## Frequently Asked Questions About the World's Largest Countries

### Which is the largest country in the world by land area? Russia is the largest country in the world by land area, covering about 17.1 million square kilometres — roughly twice the size of Canada, the second-largest.

### Which is the largest country in the Southern Hemisphere? Brazil is the largest country in the Southern Hemisphere, with about 8.5 million square kilometres of land, and the largest country in South America.

### Which is the largest country on the African continent? Algeria is the largest country in Africa, with about 2.4 million square kilometres of land, most of which is covered by the Sahara Desert.

### Is Australia a country or a continent? Australia is both. It is the world's largest country-continent at roughly 7.7 million square kilometres, and also the only country that is also a continent.

### How many of the ten largest countries are in Asia? Three of the ten largest countries by land area are located in Asia: Russia (the Asian portion), China, and India.