Russia is the world’s largest country by land area, excluding inland waters, with roughly 16.4 million square kilometres of land.
Area rankings distinguish total area from land area. Total area includes inland lakes and other water surfaces, while land area removes those waters. Russia remains first under both measures, although the exact figures vary among statistical sources because definitions and boundary calculations differ.
Canada is usually second by land area, followed by China and the United States in commonly cited international comparisons. This ranking is different from lists that include territorial waters or use special treatments for overseas territories.
Russia’s landmass crosses the Ural Mountains and extends across Siberia to the Pacific. Its vast land area contains the world’s largest continuous forest zone, extensive permafrost, major river systems, and enormous distances between population centres.