Russia vs Africa Size: Is Russia Really Bigger Than an Entire Continent?

Is Russia bigger than Africa? The world’s largest country versus the world’s second-largest continent—the answer reveals how our perception of global geography has been distorted for generations.

When comparing Russia vs Africa size, the truth might surprise you: Africa is nearly 1.8 times larger than Russia. Despite Russia’s status as the world’s largest country by far, it still cannot match the immense scale of the African continent, which contains 54 different countries.

This common misconception stems from the Mercator projection used in most maps, which dramatically exaggerates the size of regions far from the equator. Since Russia extends so far north, it appears disproportionately large on standard world maps compared to Africa, which straddles the equator.

Russia overlaid on Africa. At 0:01, you might say that Russia is bigger (even much bigger) than Africa. However, when you move Russia over Africa (0:07), you can actually see that the true size of Africa is bigger even than the vast Russia (by the way, you can use this interactive Mercator distortion resizing map tool here):

 

Russia appears much larger on the maps but it’s actually smaller than Africa. How much smaller? Here are the numbers:

Russia vs Africa Size: By the Numbers

 

The size difference is substantial: Africa encompasses more than 30 million square kilometers, while Russia covers about 17 million square kilometers. You could fit Russia into Africa approximately 1.8 times—and still have room for several European countries.

Interestingly, while Africa wins on total area by a significant margin, Russia actually has a greater east-west extent. Russia spans 11 time zones from Kaliningrad to Kamchatka, stretching nearly 9,000 km (5,600 mi) from east to west—about 22% wider than Africa’s maximum width.

{IMAGE: Russia overlaid on Africa – second position}

Visualizing Russia vs Africa Size

If you placed Russia in the middle of Africa, it would cover significant territory but would still leave vast areas of the continent exposed around all edges. Russia would fill approximately 56% of Africa’s total area.

For perspective, here’s how Russia compares to some individual African countries:

• Russia is about 7.2 times larger than Algeria, Africa’s largest country (2,381,741 km²)
• Russia is approximately 29 times larger than South Africa (1,219,090 km²)
• Russia is roughly 170 times the size of Lesotho (30,355 km²), one of Africa’s smallest nations

However, all 54 African countries combined are still significantly larger than Russia alone, with nearly an extra Russia-sized area to spare.

The Mercator Distortion: Why Russia Looks So Enormous

The primary reason many people think Russia might be larger than Africa lies in the Mercator projection, created by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569. This projection was revolutionary for navigation but creates severe size distortions.

The Mercator projection preserves angles and shapes of small areas but dramatically exaggerates the size of regions far from the equator. Since Russia extends from 41°N to 82°N latitude, much of its territory experiences extreme size inflation on Mercator maps.

By contrast, Africa spans from about 37°N to 35°S, straddling the equator where the Mercator projection is most accurate. The result? Russia appears deceptively large compared to Africa on most world maps.

This distortion has significant implications:

• Greenland (2.1 million km²) often appears similar in size to Africa (30.4 million km²) despite being 14 times smaller
• Alaska looks larger than Mexico, though Mexico is actually about 1.3 times larger
• Europe appears much larger relative to Africa than it actually is

Our interactive map corrects these distortions, allowing you to drag countries to the equator and see their true relative sizes.

Regional Comparisons: Russia vs African Regions

For a more nuanced understanding of the Russia-Africa size relationship, consider how Russia compares to major African regions:

• North Africa (Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, Western Sahara) covers approximately 8.5 million km² (3.3 million mi²)—about half the size of Russia
• West Africa (16 countries including Nigeria and Ghana) encompasses about 6.1 million km² (2.4 million mi²)—roughly one-third the size of Russia
• East Africa (13 countries including Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania) covers approximately 7 million km² (2.7 million mi²)—about 41% the size of Russia
• Central Africa (9 countries including DR Congo and Cameroon) spans about 6.6 million km² (2.5 million mi²)—approximately 39% of Russia’s size
• Southern Africa (5 countries including South Africa and Angola) covers about 2.7 million km² (1 million mi²)—roughly 16% the size of Russia

Each of these regions contains multiple countries and distinct cultures. Even the smallest of these African regions is larger than most countries in the world.

Geographical Diversity: Landscapes and Ecosystems

Both Russia and Africa contain remarkable geographical diversity, but Africa’s variety is unmatched:

Russia’s landscapes:

• The vast Siberian taiga (the world’s largest forest)
• The Ural Mountains dividing Europe and Asia
• The steppes of Central Asia
• Arctic tundra in the far north
• Subtropical areas along the Black Sea coast

Africa’s landscapes:

• The Sahara, the world’s largest hot desert (larger than the entire United States)
• The Congo Basin rainforest, the world’s second-largest tropical forest
• The Great Rift Valley with its lakes and volcanic mountains
• The Nile River, the world’s longest river
• Savanna grasslands supporting the world’s most diverse large mammal populations
• Mediterranean climate zones in the north and south
• Alpine environments on mountains like Kilimanjaro and Kenya

Africa contains every major type of climate zone and ecosystem on Earth, from the wettest rainforests to the driest deserts, while Russia, despite its vast size, lacks tropical environments entirely.

Russia vs Africa: Population Comparison

Despite being smaller than Africa, Russia has a dramatically smaller population—only about one-tenth that of Africa. Africa’s population is growing rapidly and is expected to double to 2.5 billion by 2050, while Russia’s population is projected to decline.

This population disparity highlights a key difference: much of Russia’s vast territory lies in harsh climates that support only sparse settlement. Large portions of Siberia have population densities below 1 person per square kilometer. By contrast, Africa has extensive regions suitable for dense human habitation, particularly along river valleys, coastal areas, and highland regions with favorable climates.

Historical Territorial Expansions

Both Russia and Africa have complex histories of territorial change:

Russia’s expansion:

• 16th century: Conquest of Siberia began under Ivan the Terrible
• 18th century: Further expansion into Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Alaska under Peter the Great and Catherine the Great
• 19th century: Continued expansion to the Pacific Coast and Central Asia
• Soviet era (1922-1991): Controlled additional territory in Eastern Europe and Central Asia
• Post-Soviet era: Territory reduced to current Russian Federation boundaries

Africa’s territorial changes:

• 1880s-1914: European powers divided nearly all of Africa during the “Scramble for Africa”
• 1950s-1970s: Decolonization created most of the current 54 independent African nations
• 1993: Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia
• 2011: South Sudan became Africa’s newest country

Russia achieved its enormous size through centuries of expansion from a small Slavic state centered on Moscow, while Africa’s current political boundaries largely reflect the legacy of European colonialism rather than indigenous political developments.

Is Russia Bigger Than Africa? Why It Matters

Understanding the true size relationship between Russia and Africa has significant implications:

• Educational impact: Correcting this misconception helps build a more accurate understanding of global geography
• Resource perception: Africa’s larger size reinforces its importance as a resource-rich continent with immense development potential
• Political perspective: Recognizing Africa’s true scale helps counter its marginalization in global geopolitics
• Cultural diversity: Africa’s vast size helps explain its extraordinary cultural, linguistic, and genetic diversity

The fact that Africa—with 54 countries and over 1.4 billion people—is nearly twice the size of Russia (the world’s largest country) provides important perspective on global proportions.

Interested in exploring more true-to-scale country comparisons? Visit our detailed pages on the true size of Russia and the true size of Africa, or try our interactive map to create your own visual comparisons.

Russia vs Africa Size: Frequently Asked Questions

Is Russia bigger than Africa?

No, Africa is approximately 1.8 times larger than Russia. Africa has a total area of 30,370,000 km² (11,730,000 mi²), while Russia covers 17,098,246 km² (6,601,670 mi²).

How many Russias could fit into Africa?

Africa could fit approximately 1.8 Russias within its borders. Another way to think about it: Russia occupies about 56% of Africa’s total area.

Why does Russia look bigger than Africa on most maps?

Russia appears larger than it actually is relative to Africa on standard world maps because of the Mercator projection, which exaggerates the size of areas far from the equator. Since Russia extends so far north, its size is greatly inflated, while Africa, which straddles the equator, is represented more accurately in terms of size.

Is Russia bigger than any African country?

Yes, Russia is larger than any individual African country. Russia is approximately 7.2 times larger than Algeria, Africa’s largest country (2,381,741 km²).

Could all of Europe fit inside Africa?

Yes, all of Europe (10.18 million km²) could fit inside Africa nearly three times over. In fact, Africa is large enough to contain the entire land areas of China, the United States, India, Japan, and all of Europe combined, with room to spare.