Asia is considered the largest continent in the world because of its land area which covers at least 44,000,000 square kilometers. This, in turn, means that roughly 30% of the world’s total land area can be found in this old continent, even though only 48 countries are placed there.
Besides, Asia is also made up of some of the biggest and largest countries on earth. The following list is solely based on the total area of the Asian country. It includes its borders, inland water such as national lakes, and offshore islands as well.
Continue reading and discover which ones are the largest countries in Asia:
List of Largest Countries in Asia
1. Russia
Surprisingly to some, Russia is the largest country in Asia. Its total area is 17,075,200 square kilometers or 6,612,100 square miles, and this makes it the largest country in the world too.
It’s in the capital city, Moscow, where most people live and it has most of the governmental services concentrated there.
Russia is so large that the whole country is divided into 11 time zones that overlap each other. This means that even if people live next to each other, but in a different city, they would still be in different timezones.
Russia’s lands are so diverse that they have coastlines, tundra, mountains, lakes, semi-deserts, plains, and lots of snow everywhere! They even have 40 protected UNESCO sites.
The country is divided in a very complex system. Their land is subdivided into 83 regions which are referred to as federal subjects, but there are different types of these.
2. China
China is the second country on this list of largest countries in Asia, and there’s a lot of difference between Russia and China in terms of landmass.
For example, China has an area of 9,500,000 square kilometers or 3,700,000 million square miles and its capital city is Beijing, where most people live.
China also boasts of having the tallest mountain in the world, which is called Mount Everest. This fascinating mountain is located between China and Nepal, and it forms the border that separates both countries.
In addition, China also has a desert, the Tibetan Plateau, it has some forests, some subtropical forests, and shores that terminate on the Pacific Ocean.
3. India
India covers an area of 3,200,000 square kilometers or 1,269,000 square miles. They are located in the vast majority of the Indian Peninsula, so they are surrounded by water in several parts of this large country.
Their costs go alongside the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Ocean, and the Arabian Sea. They are also home to deserts in the west, the Himalayan mountains in the north, and the watershed region which covers a lot of the north and east of the country.
The capital city of India is New Delhi. And India is divided into 29 states.
4. Kazakhstan
This country covers 2.700.000 square kilometers or 1,052,100 square miles. Kazakhstan is located in Central Asia and shares borders with Russia, China, Turkmenistan, the Caspian Sea, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan.
Kazakhstan is considered to be the largest landlocked nation in the world as it doesn’t have any exit to the sea and is only surrounded by other countries.
5. Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia ranks as the fifth largest country in Asia and covers 2.149.690 square kilometers or 830,000 square miles. Its located in the Arabian Peninsula and has coastlines on the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea. However, most of the country has either very dry or deserted lands.
Saudia Arabia is also known for having the second-largest oil reserve in the world and this makes this country a very wealthy one as they export much of this oil to other nations. In fact, they are considered to be the biggest exports and producers of this industry in the whole world.
6. Indonesia
It’s the largest country in Southeast Asia. It spreads out to more than 17,000 islands all over the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
If these islands are placed together, then they cover an area of 1,904,569 square kilometers or 735,358 square miles, which are split between two continents: Asia and Oceania.
The three largest islands in Indonesia are Sumatra, Celebes, and Java. They rely on tourism and agriculture.
7. Iran
It’s the second-largest country in the Middle East and the second country from that part of the world too who is on this list.
Iran covers 1.648.195 square kilometers or 636,372 square miles. This country has one of the oldest civilizations in the world, and they also have many – at least 22- UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Iran is surrounded by mountain ranges, the Iranian Plateau, and basins which all help to make this country a really beautiful one. In addition, Iran also has coastlines that go along the Gulf of Oman, the Caspian Sea, and the Persian Gulf.
8. Mongolia
We end our list of largest countries in Asia with Mongolia. Located between China and Russia, this country has an area of 1.566.000 square kilometers or 605,000 square miles.
Because it’s only surrounded by these two countries, this characteristic makes Mongolia the second-largest landlocked nation in the world, just right after Kazakhstan.
Mongolia is divided into regions and there you can find mountains, the Gobi Desert, which is the down in the South, and the Mongolian Plateau, which is where the majority of the countrypeople reside.
Conclusion
These eight countries are considered to be the largest and biggest countries located in Asia. And they are not only large and big in terms of their sizes, but also on the nature that lives with them and surrounds them.
Within all of these countries, there are many diverse ethnic groups, religions, languages, cultures, idiosyncrasies, and ways of being, and this multi-culturalism is what makes the world a truly interesting and special place.
I hope that this article on largest countries in Asia was helpful. If you are interested, visit the Country Ranking Page!
