Russia is the largest country by land area rather than total area.
Russia has the greatest land area of any sovereign country, at roughly 16.4 million square kilometres. Its total area is about 17.1 million square kilometres when inland waters are included. The difference illustrates why rankings can vary slightly depending on whether a source measures land only or total area.
Canada is often listed second by land area and has a larger share of lakes and inland water. China and the United States also rank among the largest countries, but neither exceeds Russia’s land area. Russia stretches across eleven time zones, from eastern Europe across northern Asia to the Pacific Ocean.