Canada ranks second worldwide by total area, after Russia.
Canada covers about 9.98 million square kilometres, including its inland waters. It stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward to the Arctic Ocean, making it the largest country in the Western Hemisphere.
The country’s huge area contains boreal forest, Arctic tundra, prairie, mountain ranges and thousands of lakes. Canada has the world’s longest coastline, a consequence of its extensive mainland and Arctic archipelago. Despite its size, most Canadians live in a relatively narrow zone near the southern border.
Area rankings can vary slightly depending on whether inland waters are counted, but Canada remains second under standard total-area comparisons. China and the United States are close in some datasets, which explains occasional differences in published rankings.