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List of countries and dependencies by area facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

This article is about the size of countries and territories around the world. It lists them based on their total area, which includes both land and water.

This list includes all 193 countries that are part of the United Nations, plus two observer states. It also includes some territories that are not fully recognized as independent countries. If a territory is claimed by more than one country, the notes will explain this.

Things like Antarctica (which many countries claim parts of) and the European Union (which is a group of countries, not a single country) are not included in this list.

When we talk about area, there are three main types:

  • Total area: This is the size of all the land and water within a country's borders.
  • Land area: This is just the land inside a country's borders, without any water.
  • Water area: This is the total surface area of all the lakes, rivers, and other inland water bodies within a country's borders. It usually doesn't include the ocean areas right outside a country's coast.

Most of the information for this list comes from the United Nations Statistics Division. If there are differences in numbers, the CIA World Factbook is often used.

How Big Are Countries?

Fuller projection with largest countries
A special map showing the 30 largest countries and territories by area.

Have you ever wondered which country is the biggest or smallest? This list helps us see how countries compare in size. It's interesting to see how much land and water each country has!

Understanding the Measurements

When we look at a country's size, we often think about its land. But many countries also have a lot of water inside their borders, like big lakes or long rivers. This list shows you both the land area and the water area, and then adds them together for the total area.

For example, a country might have a huge land area, but another might have a smaller land area but lots of big lakes, making its total area quite large.

Countries and Territories by Size

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See Also

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List of countries and dependencies by area Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.