Education
Visualizing Countries by Share of Earth’s Surface
Visualizing Countries by Share of Earth’s Surface
There are over 510 million square kilometers of area on the surface of Earth, but less than 30% of this is covered by land. The rest is water, in the form of vast oceans.
Today’s visualization uses data primarily from the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) to rank the world’s countries by their share of Earth’s surface.
Breakdown of Countries Share of Earth’s Surface
The largest countries by surface area are Russia (3.35%), Canada (1.96%), and China (1.88%).
Together they occupy roughly 7.2% of Earth’s surface. Russia is so big that even if we divided the country between its Asian and European sections, those new regions would still be the largest in their respective continents.
Country / Dependency | Total in km² (mi²) | Percentage of Earth's Surface |
---|---|---|
Russia | 17,098,246 (6,601,670) | 3.352% |
Antarctica | 14,000,000 (5,400,000) | 2.745% |
Canada | 9,984,670 (3,855,100) | 1.958% |
China | 9,596,961 (3,705,407) | 1.881% |
United States | 9,525,067 (3,677,649) | 1.867% |
Brazil | 8,515,767 (3,287,956) | 1.670% |
Australia | 7,692,024 (2,969,907) | 1.508% |
India | 3,287,263 (1,269,219) | 0.644% |
Argentina | 2,780,400 (1,073,500) | 0.545% |
Kazakhstan | 2,724,900 (1,052,100) | 0.534% |
Algeria | 2,381,741 (919,595) | 0.467% |
D.R. Congo | 2,344,858 (905,355) | 0.460% |
Greenland (Denmark) | 2,166,086 (836,330) | 0.425% |
Saudi Arabia | 2,149,690 (830,000) | 0.421% |
Mexico | 1,964,375 (758,449) | 0.385% |
Indonesia | 1,910,931 (737,815) | 0.375% |
Sudan | 1,861,484 (718,723) | 0.365% |
Libya | 1,759,540 (679,360) | 0.345% |
Iran | 1,648,195 (636,372) | 0.323% |
Mongolia | 1,564,110 (603,910) | 0.307% |
Peru | 1,285,216 (496,225) | 0.252% |
Chad | 1,284,000 (496,000) | 0.252% |
Niger | 1,267,000 (489,000) | 0.248% |
Angola | 1,246,700 (481,400) | 0.244% |
Mali | 1,240,192 (478,841) | 0.243% |
South Africa | 1,221,037 (471,445) | 0.239% |
Colombia | 1,141,748 (440,831) | 0.224% |
Ethiopia | 1,104,300 (426,400) | 0.216% |
Bolivia | 1,098,581 (424,164) | 0.215% |
Mauritania | 1,030,700 (398,000) | 0.202% |
Egypt | 1,002,450 (387,050) | 0.197% |
Tanzania | 945,087 (364,900) | 0.185% |
Nigeria | 923,768 (356,669) | 0.181% |
Venezuela | 916,445 (353,841) | 0.180% |
Pakistan | 907,843 (350,520) | 0.178% |
Namibia | 825,615 (318,772) | 0.162% |
Mozambique | 801,590 (309,500) | 0.157% |
Turkey | 783,562 (302,535) | 0.154% |
Chile | 756,102 (291,933) | 0.148% |
Zambia | 752,612 (290,585) | 0.148% |
Myanmar | 676,578 (261,228) | 0.133% |
Afghanistan | 652,230 (251,830) | 0.128% |
South Sudan | 644,329 (248,777) | 0.126% |
Somalia | 637,657 (246,201) | 0.125% |
Central African Republic | 622,984 (240,535) | 0.122% |
Ukraine | 603,500 (233,000) | 0.118% |
Madagascar | 587,041 (226,658) | 0.115% |
Botswana | 581,730 (224,610) | 0.114% |
Kenya | 580,367 (224,081) | 0.114% |
France | 543,940 (210,020) | 0.107% |
Yemen | 527,968 (203,850) | 0.104% |
Thailand | 513,120 (198,120) | 0.101% |
Spain | 505,992 (195,365) | 0.099% |
Turkmenistan | 488,100 (188,500) | 0.096% |
Cameroon | 475,442 (183,569) | 0.093% |
Papua New Guinea | 462,840 (178,700) | 0.091% |
Sweden | 450,295 (173,860) | 0.088% |
Uzbekistan | 447,400 (172,700) | 0.088% |
Morocco | 446,550 (172,410) | 0.088% |
Iraq | 438,317 (169,235) | 0.086% |
Paraguay | 406,752 (157,048) | 0.080% |
Zimbabwe | 390,757 (150,872) | 0.077% |
Norway | 385,207 (148,729) | 0.076% |
Japan | 377,976 (145,937) | 0.074% |
Germany | 357,114 (137,882) | 0.070% |
Republic of the Congo | 342,000 (132,000) | 0.067% |
Finland | 338,424 (130,666) | 0.066% |
Vietnam | 331,212 (127,882) | 0.065% |
Malaysia | 330,803 (127,724) | 0.065% |
Ivory Coast | 322,463 (124,504) | 0.063% |
Poland | 312,696 (120,733) | 0.061% |
Oman | 309,500 (119,500) | 0.061% |
Italy | 301,339 (116,348) | 0.059% |
Philippines | 300,000 (120,000) | 0.059% |
Ecuador | 276,841 (106,889) | 0.054% |
Burkina Faso | 274,222 (105,878) | 0.054% |
New Zealand | 270,467 (104,428) | 0.053% |
Gabon | 267,668 (103,347) | 0.052% |
Guinea | 245,857 (94,926) | 0.048% |
United Kingdom | 242,495 (93,628) | 0.048% |
Uganda | 241,550 (93,260) | 0.047% |
Ghana | 238,533 (92,098) | 0.047% |
Romania | 238,397 (92,046) | 0.047% |
Laos | 236,800 (91,400) | 0.046% |
Guyana | 214,969 (83,000) | 0.042% |
Belarus | 207,600 (80,200) | 0.041% |
Kyrgyzstan | 199,951 (77,202) | 0.039% |
Senegal | 196,722 (75,955) | 0.039% |
Syria | 185,180 (71,500) | 0.036% |
Cambodia | 181,035 (69,898) | 0.035% |
Uruguay | 176,215 (68,037) | 0.035% |
Somaliland | 176,120 (68,000) | 0.035% |
Suriname | 163,820 (63,250) | 0.032% |
Tunisia | 163,610 (63,170) | 0.032% |
Bangladesh | 148,460 (57,320) | 0.029% |
Nepal | 147,181 (56,827) | 0.029% |
Tajikistan | 143,100 (55,300) | 0.028% |
Greece | 131,957 (50,949) | 0.026% |
Nicaragua | 130,373 (50,337) | 0.026% |
North Korea | 120,540 (46,540) | 0.024% |
Malawi | 118,484 (45,747) | 0.023% |
Eritrea | 117,600 (45,400) | 0.023% |
Benin | 114,763 (44,310) | 0.022% |
Honduras | 112,492 (43,433) | 0.022% |
Liberia | 111,369 (43,000) | 0.022% |
Bulgaria | 111,002 (42,858) | 0.022% |
Cuba | 109,884 (42,426) | 0.022% |
Guatemala | 108,889 (42,042) | 0.021% |
Iceland | 103,000 (40,000) | 0.020% |
South Korea | 100,210 (38,690) | 0.020% |
Hungary | 93,028 (35,918) | 0.018% |
Portugal | 92,226 (35,609) | 0.018% |
Jordan | 89,342 (34,495) | 0.018% |
Serbia | 88,361 (34,116) | 0.017% |
Azerbaijan | 86,600 (33,400) | 0.017% |
Austria | 83,871 (32,383) | 0.016% |
United Arab Emirates | 83,600 (32,300) | 0.016% |
Czech Republic | 78,865 (30,450) | 0.015% |
Panama | 75,417 (29,119) | 0.015% |
Sierra Leone | 71,740 (27,700) | 0.014% |
Ireland | 70,273 (27,133) | 0.014% |
Georgia | 69,700 (26,900) | 0.014% |
Sri Lanka | 65,610 (25,330) | 0.013% |
Lithuania | 65,300 (25,200) | 0.013% |
Latvia | 64,559 (24,926) | 0.013% |
Togo | 56,785 (21,925) | 0.011% |
Croatia | 56,594 (21,851) | 0.011% |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 51,209 (19,772) | 0.010% |
Costa Rica | 51,100 (19,700) | 0.010% |
Slovakia | 49,037 (18,933) | 0.010% |
Dominican Republic | 48,671 (18,792) | 0.010% |
Estonia | 45,227 (17,462) | 0.009% |
Denmark | 43,094 (16,639) | 0.008% |
Netherlands | 41,850 (16,160) | 0.008% |
Switzerland | 41,284 (15,940) | 0.008% |
Bhutan | 38,394 (14,824) | 0.008% |
Taiwan | 36,193 (13,974) | 0.007% |
Guinea-Bissau | 36,125 (13,948) | 0.007% |
Moldova | 33,846 (13,068) | 0.007% |
Belgium | 30,528 (11,787) | 0.006% |
Lesotho | 30,355 (11,720) | 0.006% |
Armenia | 29,743 (11,484) | 0.006% |
Solomon Islands | 28,896 (11,157) | 0.006% |
Albania | 28,748 (11,100) | 0.006% |
Equatorial Guinea | 28,051 (10,831) | 0.005% |
Burundi | 27,834 (10,747) | 0.005% |
Haiti | 27,750 (10,710) | 0.005% |
Rwanda | 26,338 (10,169) | 0.005% |
North Macedonia | 25,713 (9,928) | 0.005% |
Djibouti | 23,200 (9,000) | 0.005% |
Belize | 22,966 (8,867) | 0.005% |
El Salvador | 21,041 (8,124) | 0.004% |
Israel | 20,770 (8,020) | 0.004% |
Slovenia | 20,273 (7,827) | 0.004% |
Fiji | 18,272 (7,055) | 0.004% |
Kuwait | 17,818 (6,880) | 0.003% |
Eswatini | 17,364 (6,704) | 0.003% |
East Timor | 14,919 (5,760) | 0.003% |
The Bahamas | 13,943 (5,383) | 0.003% |
Montenegro | 13,812 (5,333) | 0.003% |
Vanuatu | 12,189 (4,706) | 0.002% |
Qatar | 11,586 (4,473) | 0.002% |
The Gambia | 11,295 (4,361) | 0.002% |
Jamaica | 10,991 (4,244) | 0.002% |
Kosovo | 10,887 (4,203) | 0.002% |
Lebanon | 10,452 (4,036) | 0.002% |
Cyprus | 9,251 (3,572) | 0.002% |
State of Palestine | 6,020 (2,320) | 0.001% |
Brunei | 5,765 (2,226) | 0.001% |
Trinidad and Tobago | 5,130 (1,980) | 0.001% |
Cape Verde | 4,033 (1,557) | 0.001% |
Samoa | 2,842 (1,097) | 0.001% |
Luxembourg | 2,586 (998) | 0.001% |
Mauritius | 2,040 (790) | 0.000% |
Comoros | 1,862 (719) | 0.000% |
São Tomé and Príncipe | 964 (372) | 0.000% |
Kiribati | 811 (313) | 0.000% |
Bahrain | 778 (300) | 0.000% |
Dominica | 751 (290) | 0.000% |
Tonga | 747 (288) | 0.000% |
Singapore | 728 (281) | 0.000% |
Federated States of Micronesia | 702 (271) | 0.000% |
Saint Lucia | 616 (238) | 0.000% |
Andorra | 468 (181) | 0.000% |
Palau | 459 (177) | 0.000% |
Seychelles | 452 (175) | 0.000% |
Antigua and Barbuda | 442 (171) | 0.000% |
Barbados | 430 (170) | 0.000% |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 389 (150) | 0.000% |
Grenada | 344 (133) | 0.000% |
Malta | 316 (122) | 0.000% |
Maldives | 300 (120) | 0.000% |
Saint Kitts and Nevis | 261 (101) | 0.000% |
Marshall Islands | 181 (70) | 0.000% |
Liechtenstein | 160 (62) | 0.000% |
San Marino | 61 (24) | 0.000% |
Tuvalu | 26 (10) | 0.000% |
Nauru | 21 (8.1) | 0.000% |
Monaco | 2.02 (0.78) | 0.000% |
Vatican City | 0.49 (0.19) | 0.000% |
Antarctica, although not a country, covers the second largest amount of land overall at 2.75%. Meanwhile, the other nations that surpass the 1% mark for surface area include the United States (1.87%), Brazil (1.67%), and Australia (1.51%).
The remaining 195 countries and regions below 1%, combined, account for the other half of Earth’s land surface. Among the world’s smallest countries are the island nations of the Caribbean and the South Pacific Ocean. However, the tiniest of the tiny are Vatican City and Monaco, which combine for a total area of just 2.51 km².
The remaining 70% of Earth’s surface is water: 27% territorial waters and 43% international waters or areas beyond national jurisdiction.
Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction
In the past, nations adhered to the freedom-of-the-seas doctrine, a 17th century principle that limited jurisdiction over the oceans to a narrow area along a nation’s coastline. The rest of the seas did not belong to any nation and were free for countries to travel and exploit.
This situation lasted into the 20th century, but by mid-century there was an effort to extend national claims as competition for offshore resources became increasingly fierce and ocean pollution became an issue.
In 1982, the United Nations adopted the Law of the Sea Convention which extended international law over the extra-territorial waters. The convention established freedom-of-navigation rights and set territorial sea boundaries 12 miles (19 km) offshore with exclusive economic zones up to 200 miles (322 km) offshore, extending a country’s influence over maritime resources.
Does Size Matter?
The size of countries is the outcome of politics, economics, history, and geography. Put simply, borders can change over time.
In 1946, there were 76 independent countries in the world, and today there are 195. There are forces that push together or pull apart landscapes over time. While physical geography plays a role in the identity of nations, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the former ruler of UAE, a tiny Gulf nation, put it best:
“A country is not measured by the size of its area on the map. A country is truly measured by its heritage and culture.”
Misc
Ranked: America’s Best Universities
Evaluated on 19 different metrics, here’s the list of America’s best universities, led by 14 private schools.

Ranked: America’s Best Universities
The latest ranking of America’s best universities is here, perfectly timed for the approaching admissions season.
“Best” is of course subjective, and U.S. News and World Report has compiled 19 metrics on which they evaluated more than 400 national universities. Some of them include:
- Graduation rates & performance: A four-year rolling average of the proportion of each entering class earning a bachelor’s degree in six years or less. Performance is measured against predictions made by the publishers, and when beaten, the university gains a higher scoring.
- Peer assessment: A two-year weighted average of ratings from top academics—presidents, provosts and deans of admissions—on academic quality of peer institutions with which they are familiar.
- Financial resources: The average per student spend on instruction, research, student services and related educational expenditures in the 2021 fiscal year.
- Debt: A school’s average accumulated federal loan debt among borrowers only.
- Pell graduation rates & performance: the same calculation as stated above, but focused only on Pell Grant students, adjusted to give more credit to schools with larger Pell student proportions.
The website’s methodology section details how they sourced their data, the weights assigned to each metric, and their changes over the years.
From the hundreds assessed come the nearly 50 best universities that offer a variety of undergraduate majors, post-graduate programs, emphasize research, or award professional practice doctorates.
Which are the Best Universities in America?
At the top of the list, Princeton University is the best university in the country, known for its physics, economics, and international relations departments. Notably, it’s a rare Ivy league university that does not have a law, medical, or business school.
Here’s the full ranking of America’s best universities, along with annual tuition requirements.
Rank | School Name | State | Tuition |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Princeton University | New Jersey | $59,710 |
2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts | $60,156 |
3 | Harvard University | Massachusetts | $59,076 |
3 | Stanford University | California | $62,484 |
5 | Yale University | Connecticut | $64,700 |
6 | University of Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | $66,104 |
7 | California Institute of Technology | California | $63,255 |
7 | Duke University | North Carolina | $66,172 |
9 | Brown University | Rhode Island | $68,230 |
9 | Johns Hopkins University | Maryland | $63,340 |
9 | Northwestern University | Illinois | $65,997 |
12 | Columbia University | New York | $65,524 |
12 | Cornell University | New York | $66,014 |
12 | University of Chicago | Illinois | $65,619 |
15 | University of California, Berkeley | California | $48,465 (out-state) $15,891 (in-state) |
15 | University of California, LA | California | $46,326 (out-state) $13,752 (in-state) |
17 | Rice University | Texas | $58,128 |
18 | Dartmouth College | New Hampshire | $65,511 |
18 | Vanderbilt University | Tennessee | $63,946 |
20 | University of Notre Dame | Indiana | $62,693 |
21 | University of Michigan, Ann Arbor | Michigan | $57,273 (out-state) $17,786 (in-state) |
22 | Georgetown University | Washington, DC | $65,082 |
22 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | North Carolina | $39,338 (out-state) $8,998 (in-state) |
24 | Carnegie Mellon University | Pennsylvania | $63,829 |
24 | Emory University | Georgia | $60,774 |
24 | University of Virginia | Virginia | $58,950 (out-state) $22,323 (in-state) |
24 | Washington University, St. Louis | Missouri | $62,982 |
28 | University of California, Davis | California | $46,043 (out-state) $15,266 (in-state) |
28 | University of California, San Diego | California | $48,630 (out-state) $16,056 (in-state) |
28 | University of Florida | Florida | $28,658 (out-state) $6,381 (in-state) |
28 | University of Southern California | California | $68,237 |
32 | University of Texas, Austin | Texas | $41,070 (out-state) $11,698 (in-state) |
33 | Georgia Institute of Technology | Georgia | $32,876 (out-state) $11,764 (in-state) |
33 | University of California, Irvine | California | $47,759 (out-state) $15,185 (in-state) |
35 | New York University | New York | $60,438 |
35 | University of California, Santa Barbara | California | $45,658 (out-state) $14,881 (in-state) |
35 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Illinois | $36,068 (out-state) $17,572 (in-state) |
35 | University of Wisconsin, Madison | Wisconsin | $40,603 (out-state) $11,205 (in-state) |
39 | Boston College | Massachusetts | $67,680 |
40 | Rutgers University, New Brunswick | New Jersey | $36,001 (out-state) $17,239 (in-state) |
40 | Tufts University | Massachusetts | $67,844 |
40 | University of Washington | Washington | $41,997 (out-state) $12,643 (in-state) |
43 | Boston University | Massachusetts | $65,168 |
43 | The Ohio State University | Ohio | $36,722 (out-state) $12,485 (in-state) |
43 | Purdue University, Main Campus | Indiana | $28,794 (out-state) $9,992 (in-state) |
46 | University of Maryland, College Park | Maryland | $40,306 (out-state) $11,505 (in-state) |
47 | Lehigh University | Pennsylvania | $62,180 |
47 | Texas A&M University | Texas | $40,607 (out-state) $12,413 (in-state) |
47 | University of Georgia | Georgia | $30,220 (out-state) $11,180 (in-state) |
47 | University of Rochester | New York | $64,384 |
47 | Virginia Tech | Virginia | $36,090 (out-state) $15,478 (in-state) |
47 | Wake Forest University | North Carolina | $64,758 |
53 | Case Western Reserve University | Ohio | $62,234 |
53 | Florida State University | Florida | $21,683 (out-state) $6,517 (in-state) |
53 | Northeastern University | Massachusetts | $63,141 |
53 | University of Minnesota, Twin Cities | Minnesota | $36,402 (out-state) $16,488 (in-state) |
53 | William & Mary | Virginia | $48,841 (out-state) $25,041 (in-state) |
MIT places second, and Harvard and Stanford tie for third. Yale rounds out the top five.
Private universities, including seven Ivy League colleges, dominate the top of the rankings. Meanwhile, the highest-ranked public schools are tied at 15th, both state schools in California.
For affordability, since the higher ranks are populated by private universities, there tends to be a broad correlation of better universities being more expensive. That said, the most expensive school in the top 50 ranks is actually the University of Southern California, tied at 28th, for $68,237/year.
As it happens, also tied at 28th, the University of Florida is the most affordable public school for in-state students ($6,381/year) and Florida State University tied at 53rd, is the most affordable for out-of-staters at $21,683/year.
However these costs are tuition-only, and don’t account for other necessary expenses: accommodation, food, and textbooks.
Best University versus Best “Fit”
Finding the best university for prospective students is more than just perusing a long ranking list.
Aside from the numerous schools present within each university—which can often be the best for specific majors—factors like location, proximity to family, campus culture, the non-academic pursuits (sports, extracurriculars, internships) are also taken into consideration.
In fact, research has found that just attaining a university degree improves future earnings potential and employability.
Furthermore, individual engagement at college (irrespective of the rank of the school in question) plays a far bigger role in learning and general well-being than simply attending a highly-ranked school.
However, for low income and minority students, attending a top-ranked school does improve future earnings considerably. For women, it also often results in delaying marriage and kids, which results in more work-hours and as a result, more pay.
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