Large land area, large population, but also other things; if not, why is Russia not a superpower? "Power" in the sense of a superpower is often a matter of money, because money leads to influence and military strength. It's probably impossible to pick just one reason, but if I HAD to pick one reason I'd probably say the US is a superpower because it's wealthy, like Yamaneko said. Our ideals might also have something to do with it. Our freedoms for example; freedom is a good way to fuel innovation. Improvement for the sake of improvement, and gaining power as a side effect.