Random Mode Keyboard shortcut: Command/Ctrl + Shift + R
thumbnail

Five Least Densely Populated Countries by Continent

Can you name the five least densely populated countries in each continent?
Density in people / square kilometer. Based on population as of 2 July 2023.
Not counting overseas territories and regions such as Greenland or French Guiana
Quiz by Quizzer6794
Rate:
Last updated: July 5, 2023
You have not attempted this quiz yet.
First submittedJune 22, 2015
Times taken56,207
Average score76.7%
Rating4.91
4:00
Enter country here
0
 / 30 guessed
The quiz is paused. You have remaining.
Scoring
You scored / = %
This beats or equals % of test takers also scored 100%
The average score is
Your high score is
Your fastest time is
Keep scrolling down for answers and more stats ...
Africa
3.15
Namibia
3.91
Libya
4.60
Botswana
4.72
Mauritania
9.11
Gabon
 
 
Asia
2.20
Mongolia
2.53
Russia (Asian part)
7.20
Kazakhstan
13.4
Turkmenistan
15.0
Oman
Europe
3.64
Iceland
16.4
Finland
16.9
Norway
23.6
Sweden
28.0
Russia (European part)
 
 
North America
3.88
Canada
17.9
Belize
29.6
Bahamas
36.1
United States
54.0
Nicaragua
Oceania
3.44
Australia
19.4
New Zealand
22.3
Papua New Guinea
25.6
Solomon Islands
27.5
Vanuatu
 
 
South America
3.80
Suriname
3.79
Guyana
11.3
Bolivia
16.5
Argentina
16.9
Paraguay
+4
Level 65
Jul 23, 2016
Nice!
+4
Level 65
Jul 23, 2016
:)
+13
Level 58
Jan 30, 2020
Shocked Madagascar didn't make the list. Where does it fall? And how does Denmark not make it with the large land mass of Greenland?
+14
Level 87
Jan 30, 2020
I think Madagascar has lots of people (despite the sneaky baobab picture at the top of the quiz). But I think the Denmark / Greenland comment is fair. Either Denmark should make the quiz for North America (split by continent), or the comments should explicitly exclude external territories.
+27
Level ∞
Jan 30, 2020
Those are quiver trees from Namibia, not baobabs.
+8
Level ∞
Jan 30, 2020
Added a caveat about Greenland.
+28
Level 66
Jan 31, 2020
I always feel sad for greenland, always the outcast, not included with greenland and not considered on its own... like that piece of the world doesnt exist.
+10
Level 70
Jan 31, 2020
I agree with Greenland not being counted, since it is a territory and not part of the country. That being said, France should be number one on the least densely populated list for South America, as French Guiana (as much a part of France as Alaska or Hawaii are of the US) has a population density of 3.55 per km^2.
+5
Level 82
Sep 19, 2021
Agree about France and South America - this would be consistent with how Russia is treated in this quiz.
+2
Level 61
Jan 20, 2023
yeah but that include all of france for that, not just french guiana.
+1
Level 48
Sep 19, 2021
but libya. it has less population than laos somehow..
+11
Level 87
Jan 30, 2020
I find it hard to believe that Chad is more densely populated than Gabon, e.g. It just seems geographically impossible. Chad is huge, and it's basically just Tuaregs on camels in the desert!
+23
Level ∞
Jan 30, 2020
And yet, when we divide people by area we see that Gabon is in fact less densely populated than Chad.
+8
Level 50
Feb 16, 2020
N'Djamena has a metro area of about 1.5 million. It's not exactly tiny.
+1
Level 54
Oct 7, 2023
N'Djamena is a large city and also the whole of the southwest of Chad is relatively densely populated, whereas the only major population centres in Gabon are Libreville on the northwest coast and Franceville-Moanda in the southeast of the country. The majority of Gabon, especially the south is very sparsely populated rainforest.
+1
Level 79
Feb 16, 2020
I just missed Turkmenistan!
+2
Level 33
Jan 8, 2021
Wow i didn't even think 2 put USA
+4
Level 60
Apr 5, 2021
Honestly astounded that Chad and Niger aren't on the list.
+1
Level 54
Oct 7, 2023
Although Niger is sparsely populated in the north and Chad is sparsely populated in the northwest, both countries have larger population centres in the southwest of their territory.
+3
Level 66
Jun 14, 2021
Ok so I checked Wikipedia (I know some of you don't believe it's a reliable source) and I found that French Guiana, which is not an overseas TERRITORY, has a population density of 3.52 inhabitants/km². So France is the less densely populated country of South America if you break the transcontinental countries in parts.

And YES, French Guiana is a part of France equal to Corsica or Normandy, the same as Hawaii is part of the USA.

Source : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Guiana

(If you are not sure that I chose the good language, on the French page it's 3.3)

+1
Level ∞
Sep 3, 2021
Thank you. Added a caveat.
+3
Level 71
Oct 9, 2023
The caveat doesn't make sense, because your "such as" references two different kinds of thing. French Guiana has the same legal status as any other region of France--it is analogous to Alaska and Hawaii. Is the U.S.'s density the same when you remove the land area (and population) of Alaska and Hawaii, for consistency?

In most other quizzes, territories are not counted, and that's expected. But integral parts of a country? What is an "overseas" one of those? For example, which Indonesian islands are "overseas" and which are not? Is Hokkaido an "overseas" region of Japan?

Although it's not perfectly-aligned from country to country, I suggest you maintain the conventional distinction between territories and parts of a country, so that Greenland, Puerto Rico, St Pierre and Miquelon, and the like are usually "not counted", and integral (if discontinous) such as Alaska, Hawaii, French Guiana and Northern Ireland are "counted".

+1
Level 84
Sep 7, 2021
Hmm, lots of elbow room in Namibia. Plus, they've got a really amazing seal-rescue team there.
+2
Level 87
Sep 8, 2021
Yup -- Seal Team 6, I believe. Lots of rescues.
+2
Level 84
Sep 20, 2021
Ocean Conservation Namibia. Naude, Antoine, Denzel and Wally....such kind souls. The seal rescue videos they post are wonderful.
+1
Level 87
Sep 8, 2021
Puzzling. I've been to all these places, and Niger, Mali and Chad definitely FEEL less crowded than CAR.
+4
Level 19
Sep 19, 2021
I'm quite baffled that Brazil doesn't make the top five for South America. I guess they just really stack that east coast.
+3
Level 59
Sep 19, 2021
yeah brazil do be populated
+4
Level 74
Sep 20, 2021
I suspect megacities really skew the results.
+3
Level 67
Oct 4, 2021
Brazil is one of the 2 countries in S America that is neither in the top 5 nor the bottom 5 for population density by continent
+1
Level 56
Apr 12, 2022
How high up is the PRC?
+2
Level 66
Nov 9, 2022
If it wasn't for that wide blank I never would've guessed the CAR.
+2
Level 60
Jul 6, 2023
Indonesia should make the list for Oceania; its position is the same as Russia's. Western New Guinea has a density of about 14.
+1
Level 60
Oct 9, 2023
Still missing Indonesia for Oceania but including Russia for Asia.
+1
Level 78
Jul 6, 2023
Belize is most surprising to me...
+3
Level 64
Jul 8, 2023
Guyana and Suriname are out of order
+2
Level 75
Aug 31, 2023
Guyana and Suriname need to switch spots
+2
Level 54
Oct 9, 2023
With extradition of SBF, Bahamas is even less populated now :)
+1
Level 56
Nov 16, 2023
there is absolutely no way that gabon makes the list