Russia is the largest country in the world by land area, covering approximately 17,098,239 square kilometers (6,601,667 square miles). It spans across Eastern Europe and Northern Asia, extending about 5,600 miles east to west and about 2,500 miles north to south. Russia's vast territory is nearly as large as the entire continent of South America and is over 1.7 times larger than Canada, the second largest country. It covers around 11% of the world's landmass. Key size facts about Russia:

• Total land area: about 17 million square kilometers (6.6 million square miles).
• Extends in 11 time zones.
• Largest country in both Europe and Asia.
• Longer east-west distance than the continental United States (which is about 2,742 miles wide at its widest).