GlobeVS

Metric Maps

Surface area world map

A color-graded world map of Surface area across the 176 countries with data — same open data, same ranking as every GlobeVS tool.

Hover for value and rank · drag to pan · scroll or pinch to zoom · click opens the country page

World choropleth map of Surface area: 176 countries shaded by value; click a country for details

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How to read this map

Countries are grouped into classes by quantile breakpoints: the countries with data are sorted by value and the classes are cut so each one holds a similar number of countries. Class widths therefore differ — a wide class means the values are spread out there, not an error.

This Surface area map uses a colorblind-safe sequential ramp (viridis): darker purple marks lower values, brighter yellow marks higher values.

Countries without a reading stay gray and appear as a “No data” item in the legend — they occupy no rank and are never replaced by an invented value.

Highest Surface area

  1. #1 Russia 17,125,190 km²
  2. #2 Canada 15,634,410 km²
  3. #3 Antarctica 14,000,000 km²
  4. #4 United States 9,831,510 km²
  5. #5 China 9,562,910 km²

Lowest Surface area

  1. #176 Luxembourg 2,590 km²
  2. #175 N. Cyprus 3,781 km²
  3. #174 Trinidad and Tobago 5,130 km²
  4. #173 Brunei 5,770 km²
  5. #172 Palestine 6,025 km²

The readings are each country's latest available value — reference year 2023 across the 176 countries with data (individual countries can differ by a year or two).

176 of the 176 dataset countries have a reading for this metric (100.0% coverage); 0 countries stay gray on the map rather than being dropped silently.

FAQ

How are the color classes on this Surface area map chosen?

By quantile breakpoints over the 176 countries with data: countries are sorted by value and the classes are cut so each holds a similar number of countries. The method (linear-interpolation quantiles) is fixed and deterministic — the same data always produces the same map, on the page, in the embed and in the MCP tool.

Which year do the Surface area values come from?

Each country shows its latest available reading — reference year 2023 across the 176 countries with data. Because international series publish on different schedules, individual countries can differ by a year or two; the map shows the newest honest value rather than a thinner same-year subset.

Why are some countries gray on the Surface area map?

Gray means no reading: every dataset country has data for this metric. Countries without data occupy no rank and are never filled with an estimate — the legend's “No data” item keeps the gap visible instead of hiding it.

Can I export or embed the map?

Yes. The export buttons render a PNG (2×) or a vector SVG with the map, legend and an attribution line naming the data source and its license, plus Natural Earth (public domain) for the boundaries. The embed page adds a copy-paste iframe for any site.

Where does the Surface area data come from?

From the same open dataset as every GlobeVS tool — the #1 value on this map (Russia, 17,125,190 km²) is the same number you get in the country comparison, the rankings table and the country profiles, computed once from the committed pipeline products at build time.

Data & method

Indicators: World Bank Open Data, 43 indicators — CC BY 4.0 © World Bank — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/; Surface area (sq. km) — CC BY 4.0 © World Bank — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/; Human Development Index — CC BY 3.0 IGO © United Nations Development Programme — https://hdr.undp.org/terms-use

Boundaries: Natural Earth 1:110m (public domain); surface areas are computed with an equal-area spherical formula (Chamberlin–Duquette).

Reference facts (capital, languages, currencies, subregion): mledoze/countries (ODbL).

See Surface area as a ranked table instead →

Compare any two countries metric by metric →

Browse all metric maps →