Top 10 Largest Countries in the World (By Area)

Russia isn't just big, it's absurdly big. The country is so wide that it stretches across no fewer than 11 time zones. When the sun rises in the west, people in the east are already almost going to bed. CIA data shows that Russia borders 14 different countries, from Norway to North Korea. Most of the country (Siberia) is, by the way, almost uninhabited because of the extreme cold.

Number two lies across the ocean. Canada is huge, but did you know that a large part of that area consists of water? Canada has more lakes than all other countries in the world combined. It is a dream for nature lovers, with endless forests and a very low population density.

It is a close call with number 4, but the US takes bronze. That is largely thanks to the state of Alaska, which on its own is already bigger than many countries on this list. The diversity is enormous: from the tropical beaches of Florida to the icy plains of the north.

China is about the same size as the United States, but it is laid out very differently. While the US is fairly evenly populated, most of China's 1.4 billion people live in the east. The west consists of vast deserts and mountains. Encyclopædia Britannica nicely describes how the landscape varies from the highest mountains in the world (the Himalayas) to low-lying deltas.

The largest country in the Southern Hemisphere and in South America. Brazil is inseparably linked to the Amazon, the largest rainforest on Earth. This enormous green heart produces a large share of our planet's oxygen. Brazil is so wide that its east coast is closer to Africa than to the west coast of its own continent.

Australia is unique: it is the only country on this list that is also an entire continent. By far the largest part of the country is the Outback, a dry and rugged wilderness. That is why almost everyone lives on the coast. Because it is so isolated, you will find animals here that exist nowhere else in the world.

There is quite a gap between number 6 and number 7. India is a lot smaller than Australia in area, but it is home to well over 1.3 billion more people. That makes it one of the most densely populated areas in this top 10. Geographers often call the country a 'subcontinent' because it sits on its own tectonic plate.

The second South American country on the list. Argentina is a land of extremes: in the north you will find subtropical jungles, and in the far south (Tierra del Fuego) you are almost on the doorstep of Antarctica. Travel experts at National Geographic often praise the country for its stunning glaciers in Patagonia.

This is probably the big unknown for many people. Kazakhstan is the largest country in the world that does not border an open sea (a so-called landlocked country). It lies in Central Asia and consists largely of steppes: vast grasslands where you can drive for hours without meeting anyone.

Since Sudan split in 2011, Algeria can call itself the largest country in Africa. An impressive feat, but it is cheating a little when it comes to living space: almost 90% of the country consists of the Sahara desert. According to the UNESCO World Heritage List, the desert here does hold beautiful ancient ruins, such as Timgad, which have been perfectly preserved by the dry sand.