Is Russia Really Bigger Than Africa?
No. Africa is nearly 1.8 times larger than all of Russia.
Russia is indeed the largest sovereign nation on the planet, covering 17,098,242 km² across Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. However, the continent of Africa covers 30,370,000 km².
| Entity | Type | Area (km²) | Area (mi²) | Proportion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🌍 Africa | Continent | 30,370,000 km² | 11,728,000 mi² | 100% (1.78× Russia) |
| 🇷🇺 Russia | Country | 17,098,242 km² | 6,601,670 mi² | 56.3% of Africa |
How the Mercator Projection Fooled Generations
Because Russia stretches from 41°N to 81°N latitude, the Mercator projection inflates its northern Siberian coastlines enormously, making Russia look almost twice the size of Africa. Equal Earth completely rectifies this distortion.