What is the largest country in the world by area?

Russia's Size and Location

Russia stretches from Eastern Europe across northern Asia to the Pacific Ocean. The country covers about 17.1 million square kilometers, which is larger than the entire continent of South America. Russia borders 14 different countries and has coastlines along multiple seas and the Arctic Ocean.

Geographic Regions

Russia is divided into several major geographic regions. Western Russia includes Moscow and major cities in Europe. Siberia makes up the largest portion of the country and is mostly covered in forests and tundra. The Russian Far East borders the Pacific Ocean and includes mountainous terrain. These different regions have very different climates, from mild European areas to extremely cold Arctic regions.

Time Zones

Because Russia covers such a vast area from west to east, it spans 11 different time zones. When it is morning in Moscow, it is already evening in cities on Russia's Pacific coast. This makes Russia the country with the most time zones in the world.

Comparison to Other Large Countries

Canada is the second largest country, but it is still about 7 million square kilometers smaller than Russia. The United States (including Alaska) is the third or fourth largest depending on how territories are counted. Russia's size means it covers about 11 percent of all land on Earth.