Countries With the Longest Borders: The Top 10 Ranked

The countries with the longest total land borders are China (about 22,000 km), Russia, Brazil, India, the United States, Kazakhstan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Argentina, Canada and Mongolia. China has the longest border of all and shares frontiers with 14 different countries.

Introduction

A country's total border length depends on both its size and how many neighbors it has. Large nations with many adjoining states tend to top the list, while island countries have no land borders at all. Border length shapes trade, migration, defense and diplomacy, so these figures are more than a geographic curiosity.

Exact measurements vary slightly between sources because borders follow rivers, mountains and irregular lines that are hard to measure precisely. The ranking below reflects widely cited figures for total land border length.

The Top 10 Longest Borders

• 1. China: About 22,000 km of land border, the longest in the world. China shares frontiers with 14 countries, including Russia, India, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Myanmar and North Korea, more than almost any other nation.
• 2. Russia: Around 20,000 km of border and, like China, 14 neighbors. Spanning 11 time zones, Russia touches Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia and East Asia, from Norway to North Korea.
• 3. Brazil: Roughly 16,000 km, the longest border in the Southern Hemisphere. Brazil borders every South American country except Chile and Ecuador, ten in total.
• 4. India: About 14,000 km of land border with seven neighbors, including Bangladesh, China, Pakistan and Nepal. The India-Bangladesh border alone is one of the longest between any two countries.
• 5. United States: Around 12,000 km, dominated by the long frontiers with Canada and Mexico. The US-Canada border is the longest international border between two countries in the world.
• 6. Kazakhstan: Roughly 13,000 km, the longest border of any landlocked country. Kazakhstan is bordered by Russia, China and three Central Asian states, and shares an extremely long frontier with Russia.
• 7. Democratic Republic of the Congo: About 11,000 km, bordering nine countries in the heart of Africa, including Angola, Zambia, Uganda and the Republic of the Congo.
• 8. Argentina: Around 11,000 km, most of it the long Andean frontier with Chile, one of the longest continuous borders on Earth, plus Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil and Uruguay.
• 9. Canada: Roughly 9,000 km, essentially all of it shared with a single neighbor, the United States. Canada is unusual in having such a long border with only one country.
• 10. Mongolia: About 8,000 km, sandwiched between just two giant neighbors, Russia and China. It is one of the largest landlocked countries in the world.

What the Rankings Reveal

The list highlights how geography and history combine. China and Russia top the ranking because they are both enormous and surrounded by many countries. Canada and Mongolia show the opposite pattern: very long borders shared with only one or two neighbors. Landlocked Kazakhstan demonstrates that a country need not touch the sea to have an immense frontier.

These figures are estimates. Different agencies measure coastlines and rivers at different resolutions, so a border can appear longer or shorter depending on the method. What stays consistent is that China holds the longest total land border and ties Russia for the most neighbors at 14.

Common Questions

Which country has the longest border in the world?

China has the longest total land border, measuring roughly 22,000 km. It also shares frontiers with 14 different countries, tying with Russia for the most neighbors of any nation.

What is the longest border between two countries?

The border between the United States and Canada is the longest international border shared by two countries, stretching about 8,900 km including the Alaska-Canada section.

Which countries have no land borders?

Island nations such as Japan, Iceland, New Zealand, Australia and the Philippines have no land borders at all, since they are surrounded entirely by water.