this post was submitted on 27 Oct 2026
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[–] selokichtli@lemmy.ml 31 points 5 days ago (2 children)

It blows my mind just thinking this guy almost won the presidency of the second biggest country of the continent. Two days ago he was voting and lecturing about democracy.

[–] ilinamorato@lemmy.world 11 points 5 days ago (3 children)

Ok. I can't figure out what you mean by "second biggest." At first I assumed you meant "America" as the continent, rather than "South America," since Brazil is the biggest country in the latter by quite a wide margin (it's about four times the size of Argentina). But Brazil is the third largest Pan-American country after Canada and the US. So, ok, you must have a different definition in mind. Second-largest in the Southern hemisphere, maybe? But Brazil is bigger than Australia, by a million square kilometers.

Second-largest...uh...country with a large part of its mainland in UTC-3? (After Canada.) Second-largest country from which you can draw a direct line to Antarctica? (That one might be debatable, actually.) Second-largest country whose Northern border is closer to Canada than it is to its Southern border? (After the US, and yes, that's true.)

I need answers!

[–] SoftBun@lemmy.ml 8 points 5 days ago (1 children)

second largest population, only behind US

[–] ilinamorato@lemmy.world 5 points 5 days ago

Oh! Oh. Ha.

In hindsight it's so obvious. Thanks.

[–] selokichtli@lemmy.ml 3 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

I was thinking about several things at the same time, but yeah, seems like I was also wrong in the most obvious one: area. However, it's not that far away from the USA, being Alaska the deciding factor. Second in population and GDP.

[–] ilinamorato@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

That's a good point about excluding Alaska in the area calculation; Alaska is almost 18% of the land area of the US, so pulling it is significant.

From the perspective of population, I honestly don't know why I didn't consider that when thinking through this originally. It seems so obvious in hindsight, lol.

GDP is a little bit more complicated. By pure GDP, it looks like Brazil and Canada kind of flip back and forth depending on the year (right now Brazil is just barely above Canada); though if you look at per-capita GDP, Canada is way higher up the list.

[–] selokichtli@lemmy.ml 2 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

But I don't think they are flipping back and forward anymore. Canada is facing a trade crisis now that the new NAFTA is over, and Brazil, if the current political environment settles as it should, is facing a brilliant future in BRICS, also being a power in Rare Earths. In any case, you can consider both 2nd in GDP. Finally, sure, GDP per capita is a different beast, that's the whole struggle of our lives in the "global south".

[–] ilinamorato@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago

Yeah, definitely fair.

[–] echodot@feddit.uk -2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

I'm pretty certain South Africa is bigger than Brazil perhaps at second biggest country in the Southern hemisphere?

[–] ilinamorato@lemmy.world 8 points 5 days ago

Not even close. South Africa is like an eighth the size of Brazil. Australia is significantly bigger than South Africa, too, though slightly smaller than Brazil; and Angola, Peru, a good chunk of Congo, and Argentina are all (a) South of the Equator, (b) bigger than South Africa, and (c) smaller than Australia.

[–] Heliumfart@sh.itjust.works 11 points 5 days ago (6 children)

Which country in South America is larger than Brasil?

[–] WoodScientist@lemmy.world 4 points 5 days ago

El Dorado.

The Dorodoan people are vast and numerous, covering an area much larger than Brazil. They're just really sneaky about it.

[–] bold_atlas@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Paraguay de jure.

[–] XiJinpingStanAccount@lemmy.ml 1 points 5 days ago (3 children)

outside the US the Americas is usually considered a single continent. Not 2.

[–] AAA@feddit.org 3 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Most (maybe all?) European countries consider them to be two continents. Because they are.

But even if we look at the Americas as a single continent, Brazil would only be the third largest country, because Canada would be second.

[–] Heliumfart@sh.itjust.works 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Haha, Canada is bigger than trumpland.

[–] AAA@feddit.org 1 points 5 days ago
[–] XiJinpingStanAccount@lemmy.ml 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Brazil is 2nd largest by population in the americas. That's what the OP was referencing.

[–] AAA@feddit.org 1 points 5 days ago

Ah, then it makes sense.

[–] Heliumfart@sh.itjust.works 3 points 5 days ago (2 children)

I've only spent a week of my life in that shithole country, and I've never heard of the Americas as a single continent.

What about the seven summits?

[–] freeman@sh.itjust.works 2 points 5 days ago

Never heard of the term seven summits but the Olympic flag has five rings for the five inhabited contingents.

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

What movies are distinction between a geographical definition of a continent and a political definition.

The geographical definition of a continent puts large parts of China in Europe and that just doesn't seem right. It also means that New Zealand is its own continent all on its own.

[–] XiJinpingStanAccount@lemmy.ml 2 points 5 days ago

parts of China in Europe

What a weird way to put it. I'd argue Europe doesn't exist. It's a pureply political distinction. It's just far west asia. Or Eurasia if you want to be a bit inclusive.

[–] Bysmuth@lemmy.zip 1 points 5 days ago

Probably meant American continent with the US having a larger population

[–] NikkiDimes@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Perhaps they meant hemisphere...? Even then it'd be third though, I'm pretty sure...

[–] Crewman@sopuli.xyz 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Pan-American continent by population, Brazil is second. Mexico comes in 3rd.

[–] NikkiDimes@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago* (last edited 18 hours ago)

Pan-American continent is the same as the Western hemisphere, making the biggest Canada, followed by the US, followed by Brazil, no?

[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 0 points 5 days ago (2 children)

south america is in the "southern hemisphere though.

[–] ilinamorato@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

There are four hemispheres; each colocated with halves of two others. There's a Northern and Southern hemisphere, yes, but there's also an Eastern and Western hemisphere; one from the Prime Meridian East to the Date Line, and the other from the Prime Meridian West to the Date Line.

And actually, geographers talk about a third hemisphere delineation: the "Land Hemisphere" and the "Water Hemisphere." The "equator" of this hemispherical division is a circle that runs south from Baja California to just under Peru, curves across South America and across the Atlantic where it ducks under South Africa, then curves back North to skirt just below Vietnam and Japan before turning South again over the North Pacific. That might not sound like a hemisphere, but it is when you look at a globe; and the "Land Hemisphere," which is centered on France, contains 81% of Earth's land, while the "Water Hemisphere," which is centered just south of New Zealand, contains about 63% of Earth's water.

[–] angrystego@lemmy.world 0 points 5 days ago (1 children)

So the Earth consists of two whole spheres!

[–] ilinamorato@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago

each colocated with halves of two others.

No.

[–] NikkiDimes@lemmy.world 0 points 5 days ago

What is Western Hemisphere, Alex?

[–] VoodooAardvark@lemmy.zip 1 points 5 days ago

Brazil is 48% of the continent. Argentina in second at 16%. Not even close.