Answer: California

Canada, at 3,855,103 square miles (9,984,670 square kilometers) of total area, is the largest country in the Western Hemisphere and the second largest country in the entire world (second only to Russia). California, within the context of U.S. states, is the third largest state (trailing behind Alaska and Texas) with a total land area of 163,696 square miles (423,970.7 square kilometers).

Once you get past their close relative rankings in land area compared to their peers, however, the similarity falls apart—especially in census counts. In fact, California is so populous with 39,144,818 people that, without even resorting to grouping it with other U.S. states, it blows right past the total population of Canada (36,673,606 people) by a wide margin.

The lower population combined with huge (mostly) uninhabited areas near, and in, the Arctic Circle also contributes to Canada having a much lower population density. The population density of the large nation is a mere 10 people per square mile (4 people per square kilometer) compared to California’s 251 people per square mile (97 people per square kilometer).

In fairness to Canadians, however, once you focus your measurements on the regions of the country they prefer to live in (which are overwhelmingly as close to their warmer southern border as possible), the population density skyrockets.