Russia vs United States — true size compared
Russia is about 1.74× the area of United States — a difference of roughly 7,264,726 km² (2,804,924 sq mi). You could fit United States inside Russia about 1 time.
Russia covers 17,098,246 km² (6,601,670 sq mi), the world's largest country by area.
The United States covers 9,833,520 km² (3,796,742 sq mi) from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
Overlay Russia and United States on the map →
Why maps make Russia and United States look wrong
Almost every web map — Google Maps, Apple Maps, OpenStreetMap — uses the Mercator projection. Mercator preserves shape locally, but it stretches land the further you get from the equator. Greenland ends up looking bigger than Africa. Alaska rivals the contiguous US. That's why Russia and United States can look similar on a world map even when one is many times larger. The only fair way to compare is to lift one outline off the map and drop it on top of the other at true scale.
Quick facts
- Russia: 17,098,246 km² · 6,601,665 sq mi
- United States: 9,833,520 km² · 3,796,741 sq mi
- Ratio: Russia is 1.74× United States
- Absolute difference: 7,264,726 km² (2,804,924 sq mi)
- United States fits inside Russia ~1 time
Frequently asked
Is Russia bigger than United States?
Russia is the bigger of the two, at 17,098,246 km² compared to 9,833,520 km² for United States.
How many times does United States fit inside Russia?
About 1 time — the exact ratio is 1.74×.
Why does the map exaggerate one of them?
Mercator projection. Places far from the equator get visually stretched. Overlay the two at true scale to see the honest comparison.