Brazil is the largest Portuguese-speaking country by area.
Portuguese arrived in South America with Portuguese colonization beginning in the 16th century. Brazil declared independence in 1822, but Portuguese remained the country’s dominant language. Today, Brazil occupies about 8.5 million square kilometres, making it the fifth-largest country in the world and by far the largest member of the Portuguese-speaking world.
The next-largest Portuguese-speaking countries are Angola and Mozambique, both in Africa. Angola covers roughly 1.25 million square kilometres, while Mozambique covers about 800,000 square kilometres—substantial areas, but each less than one-sixth of Brazil’s size. Portugal itself is much smaller, at about 92,000 square kilometres.
A common mix-up is confusing the largest Portuguese-speaking country by area with the country having the highest proportion of Portuguese speakers. Brazil wins both comparisons among sovereign states, but Portuguese is also official in several African and Asian countries, including Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau and Timor-Leste.