There have been several comparison between China and the US, and these span from economy, to government, beliefs etc. Both countries are different in more ways than they are similar. And some of the most distinctive areas are religion, government, and the size of the country and population.
The United States is a large country, it’s the most populated country in North America and one of the most populated in the world. While China is an East Asian state with the most population not just in Asia but in the world. They have jurisdiction over four direct-controlled municipalities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing and Tianjin, with four autonomous region and 22 provinces.
China is one of the earliest civilization on earth. For centuries, the region political structure was based on monarchies or dynasties.
Is China Bigger Than The US?
No. China is not bigger than the US in terms of size rather the US is bigger than China with total area due to it’s coastal waters off the American island territories and state.
China occupies a total area of approximately 3.7 million square miles while the US occupies a total area of approximately 3.8 million square miles. So, the territories that the US claims are part of the reason the US is about 2% larger than China
Nonetheless, China has more landmass than the United States with about 2.2%. The United States has a land area of about 3.5 million square miles while China has a land area of about 3.6 million square miles but this land area doesn’t include undisputed territories.
The territory that the US owns includes a lot of bodies of water and islands and the only way China could end up being bigger than the United States is if they can claim some of the disputed territories that they have.
For instance, China has two disputed territories with India called Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin.
Arunachal Pradesh is about 34, 749 square miles and it’s located in South Tibet. Aksai Chin is about 14,380 square miles and it’s close to Kashmir.
If these territories were to be cliamed by the Chinese, China would be bigger than the United States with about 4%.
The Chinese government has been putting efforts to make some of their islands in the South China sea more habitable, and if this can be done, it will extend the size of their maritime area.
Presently, the US has a larger territory than China and this makes the United States bigger than China.
Which Country Is The Biggest In The World?
The biggest country in the world is Russia. It has has 17,098,250 square kilometers of territory which put is in first place.
The second biggest country in the world is Canada. It has hhas 9,879,750 square kilometers of territory and a good portion of Canada territory is water but it’s actual land area is 8,965,590 which makes it smaller than the US.
The United States is bigger than China in terms of territory size and also it’s the third largest country in the world with 9,147,420 square kilometers.
Why Are There Disputes Over The Size of China And The US?
More often than not, there are disputes when it comes to comparing the size of China and the US over which country is bigger. The reason for this is because it depends on how you calculate the size.
To compare country size, there are two areas to look at. Firstly, you must consider their size according to their territory which includes the coastal waters that the country own. Secondly, you must consider the size of the landmass.
The landmass is the actual size of the country excluding all water bodies and coastal waters.
So if you are comparing them in terms of territory which includes water bodies and coastal waters the US is bigger because the United States territory extends deep into coastal waters but if you are comparing them in terms of landmass excluding water bodies and coastal waters, then China is bigger because it has few bodies of water.
Because of this analogy, some people would claim atht China is bigger while other would claim that the US is bigger.
Is China Population Bigger Than The US Population?
Sometimes, when the size of China and the United States are being compared, what they are considering is the population.
China population is bigger than the United States. China has the biggest population in the world with an estimate of 1.44 billion people. The population of China is bigger than several countries put together.
The United States on the other hand ranked as the third most populated country in the world with an estimate of 341 million people.
In 1980, China hit 1 billion people to become the most populated country. The country however decided to enact the One-Child policy restraining familes from having more than one child. This was done to slow the increase in population.
After realizing that the policy would cause more harm than good to their labor markets, it was replaced with a Two-Child policy but it was already too late. The fertility rate among young people in China has fallen.
How The US Got It’s Territories
A lot of people do not actually know how big the United States is, what they know is that the country has 50 states, one federal district known as Washington DC but what many do not know is that the United States has nine uninhibited territories, five self-governing territories and one incorporated territory.
Now, the question is, how did the United States accumulates all these territories? Here are the answers.
1. The Revolutionary War
United States evolution began with the Revolutionary War in the 1778. They fought against the British forces to get their independence from Great Britain and to keep their claim on the 13 colonies they had already established.
The American Army defeated the British and got their independence. Through the recognition of their independence, the 13 colonies which joined them in fighting against the Great Britain became the first states of the country.
They signed a treaty which recognized the independence of the United States all the way to the Mississippi River. This is where the British territory ended and the Spanish and French territory started so it wasn’t the land alone the newly formed United States of America got from Britain.
The United States of America started to take it’s first form after the Revolutionary War.
2. The Purchase of Louisiana
In 1803, the United States got another big chunk of land that ran from New Orleans all through to North Dakota and Montana, it included 828,000 square miles. Before then, this territory belonged to France.
The area was becoming a burden to France as it wasn’t generating enough revenue. And due to the war in Europe, the area was accruing more expenses for France that the French General, Napoleon Bonaparte decided to sell the land to the United States because they were running low on funds.
Due to the urgency, the territory was sold for a cheap sum of $15 million. After the transaction was completed, the US western border got expanded.
3. Acquisition of Florida: Treaty of Adams-Onis
Spain government sent some travelers all across the West and some landed in Florida and settled there. However, they were unsuccessful in their dealings and the Spanish government wanted to sell off the land to the US because they knew that if they were invaded they wouldn’t be able to defend themselves.
John Quincy Adams, the Secretary of State met with Spanish government and discussed a treaty between the US and Spain. After a few years, Spain signed Florida over to the US in 1819. Thereby stretching the southern border of the US all through to the ocean on the eastern side.
4. The Annexation of Texas
Texas belonged to Mexico until 1845 but before then, it belonged to Spain. This is because Mexico was a Spanish-controlled territory before their revolution war against Spain in 1821.
Mexico got it’s independence from Spain and became a sovereign nation meaning that some territories that belonged to Spain is now theirs and Texas was one of those territories.
At the time, a few Spanish-Mexicans lived in Texas and their strategy to keep Texas away from the hands of the US, Mexico opened their borders to immigrants from America.
Stephen Austin was one of the most popular immigrants and he came with about 25,000 immigrants. These immigrants didn’t learn Mexican neither did they do business with just Mexico but they kept speaking English and did more business with the US.
In 1835, Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, the President of Mexico declared himself a dictator and removed the constitution. Knowing fully well that his claims would start rebellious in some parts of the country and one of those areas was Texas.
Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna sent the Mexican Army to Texas to disarm the people and control the city but rather the matter escalated in the village of Gonzales. And this give birth to the Team Revolution.
This revolution went on for several months until Mexico surrendered and the Republic of Texas was formed.
In continuation of the western expansion, the United States annex Texas in 1845, peacefully added 389,000 square miles of land which used to belong to Mexico and Spain to its fold.
5. Mexico Cession: The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The Mexico Cession comprises of the region in the modern-day Southwestern United States that was originally controlled by Mexico.
After the US annexed Texas, tensions between the two countries grew due various boundary disputes which resulted to a brief Mexican-American War in 1848.
Mexico surrendered, and the two countries signed what is called the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo.
The treaty declared Texas as a state and the acquisition of more land that had once belonged to Mexico such as California, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, most of Arizona, and parts of Wyoming, Kansas and Oklahoma. And the recognition of the Rio Grande as the southern boundary within the US.
Mexico got 15 million dollars and the United States expanded even further.
6. The Purchase of Alaska
In 1867, Russian efforts to expand trade as well as settlement to the Pacific coast of North America came to an end. The US saw it as an opportunity to take the Asia-Pacific region.
After Russia finished the Crimean War and had no strength left, they knew the US wanted Alaska and since they military and resources had depleted, the Russian Emperor, Alexander II, started negotiations with the US for a possible sale.
In March 1867, Russia agreed to sell Alaska to the US for 7.2 million Alaska become an official state in the US in 1959.
7. Puerto Rico
It was originally called Porto Rico and it was colonized by the Spanish. Until the Spanish-American War, it remained under tSpain’s rule.
In 1898, the US won the Spanish-American War and acquired Porto Rico and eventually, it’s name changed to Puerto Rico.
In 1917, the people of Puerto Rico officially became US citizens but they don’t have much say in Congress.
Puerto Rico is mostly a self-governing state with oversight from the US federal government.
8. The Republic of Hawaii
In 1898, the US annexed Hawaii and it became the Republic of Hawaii, and after a couple of years, it became the Territory of Hawaii.
In 1959, Hawaii became the official 50th state in the United States.
9. The Guano Islands Act
The US Congress in 1856, passed the Guano Islands Act which allowed the US citizens to acquire islands that were yet unclaimed if they had guano deposits.
Regardless of where the island is located, US citizens were given the go ahead to claim them as long they were not under the control of other countries. And the President is obligated to use military to protect those islands and their resources from other countries
In the early 1800s, Guano was useful not just as a fertilizer but also as a source of saltpeter for gunpowder.
Many entrepreneurs in the US started seeking islands they could claim and sourcing for guano and this gave birth to the insular areas in US territories.
I’m 1903, the US was already controlling over 94 islands and 66 of them became official territories. However most of these claim were withdrawn aster they depleted the guano.
Conclusion
Although China has more landmass and more population, the US, however, has many territories and coastal jurisdiction which ultimately makes the US bigger than China.
