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What is the largest country in Asia?

China is the largest country in Asia, at about 9.6 million km². If you count transcontinental Russia, its Asian part (about 13.1 million km²) is larger still.

The answer depends on whether you count Russia:

• Including transcontinental Russia: Russia's Asian part alone covers about 13.1 million km² (roughly 77% of the country), which is far bigger than any other country in Asia.
• Countries counted as Asian: China is the largest, at 9,596,961 km². That makes it the third or fourth largest country in the world, depending on how the United States is measured.

China is followed by India (3,287,263 km²) and Kazakhstan (2,724,900 km²), which is the largest landlocked country in the world. Together the three cover 49% of the combined area of Asia's 49 countries.

The ten largest Asian countries by area

Why the figures vary

Published areas differ by source because some include inland water, and because several borders are disputed. India's official figure includes all of Kashmir, including the parts administered by Pakistan and China. Pakistan's figure includes the parts of Kashmir it administers, and China's figure includes Aksai Chin. Ranks near the top of the table are not affected, but small differences between neighbours can be.

See all 49 countries in the full ranking of Asian countries by area.

Area: total area including inland water, standard UN / national reference figures.