Australia is the largest country by total area among countries whose English names start with A, covering about 7,688,287 square kilometres.
The other prominent A countries are substantially smaller: Argentina covers about 2.78 million square kilometres, Algeria about 2.38 million, and Angola about 1.25 million. Australia is also the world’s sixth-largest country overall.
The name Australia comes from the old geographical idea of Terra Australis, meaning “southern land.” The country includes the Australian mainland, Tasmania, and many smaller offshore islands. It is unusual because it occupies an entire continent while also being counted as a country.
A common mix-up is confusing Australia’s continental status with its area ranking. Russia, Canada, China, the United States, and Brazil are larger overall, but none begins with A. Argentina is the largest mainland A-country, but Australia is far larger when total national area is compared.