A cool attempt at visualizing countries by share of Earth’s surface by the Visual Capitalist. The infographic primarily relies on the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) to rank the world’s countries by their share of Earth’s surface. (Click to enlarge)
Out of 510 million square kilometers of area on the surface of Earth, less than 30% is covered by land. The largest countries occupying that land are Russia (3.35%), Canada (1.96%), and China (1.88%). Together, they account for roughly 7.2% of Earth’s surface. Russia is so big that even if we divided the country between its Asian and European sections, each of the two parts would still be the largest in their respective continents.
At the same time, Europe (excluding Russia and Greenland) only makes up 1.2% of Earth’s surface.
The rest is water, in the form of vast oceans.





Related Posts
The Road to Heaven: China’s Tianmen Mountain Big Gate Road Might Be the Craziest Drive on Earth
Nördlingen, the Medieval German Town Built from Diamonds in a Meteorite Crater
Island in Lake on Island in Lake on Island in Lake: This Is the World’s Only 5th Order Recursive Island
500 Days in Darkness: The Long-Buried Story of Priest’s Grotto, a Holocaust Refuge in One of the World’s Longest Caves
Kutkhiny Baty: The Place That Nature Made to Look Unnatural
The Old Man of Hoy: How Scotland’s Towering Sea Stack Lost a Leg and May Soon Fall
La Rinconada, Peru: The World’s Highest Town — and One of Its Most Lawless
Castel Meur: The Little House Between the Rocks That Refuses to Be a Tourist Attraction
Every Year, the Sea Parts in Korea for a Short Time—A Natural Event Echoing Moses’ Story
The Vikings’ Legacy: Iceland’s Turf Houses – Hobbit Homes That Vanish Into the Landscape