Russia is 73.9% larger than the United States (1.74 times the size). Areas below are total areas from national statistics; the Mercator factor shows how much a standard web map inflates each one.
Russia is larger by 2,804,928 sq mi (7,264,729 km²).
Share of the two areas combined (true area, not map area)
| Metric | 🇷🇺 Russia | 🇺🇸 United States | Ratio / Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Area (Sq Miles) | 6,601,670 sq mi | 3,796,742 sq mi | 1.74x |
| Total Area (Sq Kilometers) | 17,098,246 km² | 9,833,517 km² | 1.74x |
| Population | 144,000,000 | 331,449,281 | 2.3x less |
| Population Density | 22 people / sq mi | 87 people / sq mi | USA 4.0x denser |
| Capital or Seat | Moscow | Washington, D.C. | - |
| Largest Metropolitan Area | Moscow | New York City | - |
| Latitude Center | 60.0° | 38.0° | 22.0° lat diff |
| Mercator Area Inflation Factor | 4x | 1.61x | 2.48x visual distortion |
While Russia is 1.74x the size of the US, on Mercator maps it appears three to four times larger because much of Siberia lies above 60°N.
Mercator projection formulas stretch surface area proportionally to sec²(φ) = 1 / cos²(φ), magnifying landmasses drastically near the north and south poles.
Russia covers 6,601,670 square miles compared to the United States' 3,796,742 square miles. Russia is 1.74 times larger than the US. However, the US has more than double Russia's population.
Lake Baikal in Russia holds approximately 20% of the world's unfrozen surface freshwater.
The US is separated from Russia by just 2.4 miles (3.8 km) across the Bering Strait between the Diomede Islands.
Mercator factors use the center latitude only (area scale = 1 / cos² of latitude), so they are approximations for places that span many degrees of latitude.
Use published areas from national statistics offices or census gazetteers rather than judging by pixels on a flat web map.
Remember that Web Mercator tiles distort areas by 1/cos²(latitude). High-latitude regions appear vastly larger than equatorial states.
Drag one outline over the other in the true size tool; the shape is re-projected as it moves, so it keeps its real size.
Russia is 1.74 times the size of the United States (about 74% larger).
United States has about 331,449,281 people versus 144,000,000 in Russia, roughly 2.3 times as many. Per square mile, that is about 22 people in Russia and 87 in United States.
By area, United States (9,833,517 km²) fits into Russia (17,098,246 km²) about 1.74 times. Shapes differ, so this is an area ratio, not a literal tiling.
