Which country has the highest neighbouring countries in the world?

Which country has the largest number of neighbors in the world?

According to the World Atlas, both China and Russia share their land borders with 14 different countries, making it the most connected countries on the international border.

This is largely due to their extensive land area and strategic geographical location. China is located in the center of Asia, with border countries ranging from India and Pakistan to Russia and Mongolia to the north. Russia is the largest country in the world, spread across Europe and Asia, sharing borders with countries such as Ukraine, Kazakhstan and North Korea.

In addition to these two giants, several other countries also have extensive borders. For example, Brazil and Germany share land boundaries with nine countries, while France, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) borders eight. These broad borders shape trade, diplomacy, security and regional impacts, making them crucial to global geopolitics.

In this article, we will study China and Russia, which have the largest number of international borders and equal number of neighboring countries

1. China – 14 border countries

Map of China and its borders

Source: Worldatlas

1. Afghanistan

2. Bhutan

3. India

4. Kazakhstan

5. Kyrgyzstan

6. Laos

7. Mongolia

8. Myanmar

9. Nepal

10. North Korea

11. Pakistan

12. Russia

13. Tajikistan

14. Vietnam

China is the second largest country to delineate land areas, sharing its borders with 14 sovereign states. In the northeast, it borders North Korea and Russia. In the north, it has a border with Mongolia. In the south, it has borders with India, Bhutan and Nepal. In the southeast, China has borders with Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar. In the southwest, it borders Pakistan. In the West, it shares its borders with Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

Other boundary facts

  • In addition to its land border, China also has a 3km long border with Macau, a former Portuguese territory until 1999.
  • It also has a 30km border with Hong Kong, a former British territory.
  • Hong Kong and Macau are now China’s Special Administrative Regions (SARS).
  • China has the longest land boundary system in the world, covering 22,117 kilometers.

2. Russia – 14 border countries

Map of Russia and its borders

Source: Worldatlas

1. Azerbaijan

2. Belarus

3. China

4. Estonia

5. Finland

6. Georgia

7. Kazakhstan

8. Latvia

9. Lithuania

10. Mongolia

11. North Korea

12. Norway

13. Poland

14. Ukraine

Russia is the largest land area in the world, with a total border length of 20,241 kilometers, making it the second longest land border system in the world. In the south, it shares its borders with North Korea, Mongolia, China, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. In the southwest and west, it has boundaries with Ukraine, Estonia, Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Norway and Finland.

Political and economic impact

  • Russia has established complex relations with its neighbors, which are shaped by historical, economic and political factors.
  • In 2014, Russia established the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), which includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus and Armenia, promoting economic cooperation among these countries.
  • But Russia’s geopolitical ambitions, including efforts to maintain influence on former Soviet countries and their tensions with neighbors that are consistent with the EU, have created tensions.

in conclusion

Although Canada has the longest land border with a country, countries in Asia and Europe have more shared borders. China and Russia lead the world, each bordering 14 different countries, establishing extensive geopolitical, economic and diplomatic interconnections. Understanding these boundaries is essential to grasp the complexity of international relations and global geopolitics.