The Russian Federation is the largest state on the planet. Its area is estimated at millions of square kilometers. Which countries border Russia? And what are the peculiarities of the geopolitical position of this country? This will be discussed in this article.
Which countries border Russia?
Russia is the leading country on the planet in terms of size. Its area is just over 17 million square kilometers. True, only 146 million people live on such a vast territory, so the average population density in the country is low (8.4 people per square kilometer of area). How many countries does Russia border with?
If we take into account all countries, including those partially recognized by the world community (we are talking about Abkhazia and South Ossetia), then Russia is the world leader in the number of neighboring countries. There are 16 of them in total.
Which countries border Russia? These are Norway, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia, North Korea, as well as South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Russia borders on two more countries by sea: Japan and the USA.
Features of the geopolitical situation of modern Russia
Geopolitical models view Russia as a major player surrounded by so-called large spheres (according to Cohen). In the west there is a bloc of NATO countries, which is moving closer and closer to the state borders of the Russian Federation. By the beginning of the 21st century, this bloc had completely extended its influence to the Balkan Peninsula, the Baltic states and Eastern Europe. In the south, Russia borders on another powerful player - China, which has significant military and economic potential.
If we consider the purely economic aspect of the geopolitical situation, then Russia is surrounded on all sides by members of the so-called economic Triad of the planet. These are the European Union in the west (about 20% of global GDP), Japan in the east (9%) and China in the south (18%).
Let us consider in more detail the western, southern and eastern sectors of the Russian state border.
Western borders of Russia
The western border of Russia begins on the shores of the Barents Sea and practically does not encounter natural boundaries along its route. Which countries does Russia border on the west? These are six independent states that were previously part of the USSR, as well as two Scandinavian countries (Norway and Finland).
In the west, the longest section of the border is between the Russian Federation and Ukraine (about 1,300 km), and the shortest is with Norway (200 km). It should be noted that there are no border problems or any territorial claims only between Russia and Belarus in this area. The Crimean Peninsula is the main object of dispute with Ukraine, the Pskov region - with Latvia. Norway also lays claim to part of the Barents Sea that belongs to Russia.
Southern borders of Russia
What countries does Russia border on in the south? These are Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia, as well as two unrecognized republics - South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
The longest section of the Russian border is with Kazakhstan (almost 7,500 kilometers). This line is very arbitrary and practically does not coincide with natural objects (it runs through desert areas or mountain ranges).
Perhaps the most problematic area for Russia is the section of the border in the North Caucasus. There is a whole set of hot spots associated with the unrecognized formations of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Eastern borders of Russia
In the east, Russia borders the DPRK by land, as well as Japan and the United States by sea.
The Russian-Korean border is the shortest - only 18 kilometers. It runs entirely along the Tumannaya River. The countries agreed among themselves on the demarcation and delimitation of water areas in the Sea of Japan.
Russia borders two other states in the east solely by sea. The Russian-American maritime border is considered the longest in the world. It should be recalled that Alaska was once sold by Alexander II to the States for seven million dollars.
Serious territorial claims also remain between Russia and Japan. The object of the dispute is a number of islands of the Kuril chain.
Finally...
Now you know which countries border Russia. These are 16 independent states, as well as two partially recognized republics. Unfortunately, problems with the demarcation of many sections of the Russian state border have not yet been resolved. In addition, many neighboring countries make territorial claims against the Russian Federation.
The length of Russian borders is more than 60.9 thousand kilometers, which are guarded by approximately 183 thousand border guards. Russia borders on 16 countries.
The length of Russian borders is more than 60.9 thousand kilometers, which are guarded by approximately 183 thousand border guards. The current borders of Russia with the former Soviet republics are not fully formalized in international legal terms. For example, the border between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Ukraine has still not been demarcated, although the delimitation of the land border was completed last year.
Russia borders on 16 countries. The length of the border with Norway is 219.1 kilometers, with Finland - 1325.8 kilometers, with Estonia - 466.8 kilometers, with Latvia - 270.5 kilometers, with Lithuania (border with the Kaliningrad region) - 288.4 kilometers, with Poland (border with the Kaliningrad region) - 236.3 kilometers, with Belarus - 1239 kilometers, with Ukraine - 2245.8 kilometers, with Georgia - 897.9 kilometers, with Azerbaijan - 350 kilometers, with Kazakhstan - 7,598.6 kilometers, with Mongolia - 3,485 kilometers, with China - 4,209.3 kilometers, with the DPRK - 39.4 kilometers, with Japan - 194.3 kilometers, with the USA - 49 kilometers.
Land borders
On land, Russia borders on 14 states, 8 of which are former Soviet republics.
The length of the land border with Norway is 195.8 kilometers (of which 152.8 kilometers are the border passing along rivers and lakes), with Finland - 1271.8 kilometers (180.1 kilometers), with Poland (border with the Kaliningrad region) - 204.1 kilometers (0.8 kilometers), with Mongolia - 3,485 kilometers, with China - 4,209.3 kilometers, with the DPRK - 17 kilometers along rivers and lakes, with Estonia - 324.8 kilometers (235.3 kilometers) , with Latvia - 270.5 kilometers (133.3 kilometers), with Lithuania (border with the Kaliningrad region) - 266 kilometers (236.1 kilometers), with Belarus - 1239 kilometers, with Ukraine - 1925.8 kilometers (425.6 kilometers), with Georgia - 875.9 kilometers (56.1 kilometers), with Azerbaijan - 327.6 kilometers (55.2 kilometers), with Kazakhstan - 7,512.8 kilometers (1,576.7 kilometers).
The Kaliningrad region is a semi-enclave: the territory of a state, surrounded on all sides by the land borders of other states and having access to the sea.
Western land borders are not tied to any natural boundaries. In the section from the Baltic to the Azov Sea, they pass through populated and developed lowland territories. Here the border is crossed by railways: St. Petersburg-Tallinn, Moscow-Riga, Moscow-Minsk-Warsaw, Moscow-Kyiv, Moscow-Kharkov.
Russia's southern border with Georgia and Azerbaijan runs through the Caucasus Mountains from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea. Railways are laid along the edge of the banks; two roads pass through the central part of the ridge, which are often closed in winter due to snow drifts.
The longest land border - with Kazakhstan - runs through the steppes of the Volga region, the Southern Urals and southern Siberia. The border is crossed by many railways connecting Russia not only with Kazakhstan, but also with the countries of Central Asia: Astrakhan-Guriev (further to Turkmenistan), Saratov-Uralsk, Orenburg-Tashkent, Barnaul-Alma-Ata, a small section of the Trans-Siberian Railway Chelyabinsk-Omsk, Central Siberian and South Siberian Railways.
The second longest border with China runs along the channel of the Amur River, its tributary the Ussuri River, and the Argun River. It is crossed by the Chinese Eastern Railway (CER), built back in 1903, and the Chita-Vladivostok highway, laid through Chinese territory to connect the Far East and Siberia by the shortest route.
The border with Mongolia passes through the mountainous regions of Southern Siberia. The Mongolian border is crossed by a branch of the Trans-Siberian Railway - Ulan-Ude-Ulaanbaatar-Beijing.
The railway to Pyongyang runs across the border with the DPRK.
Maritime boundaries
By sea, Russia borders on 12 countries. The length of the maritime border with Norway is 23.3 kilometers, with Finland - 54 kilometers, with Estonia - 142 kilometers, with Lithuania (border with the Kaliningrad region) - 22.4 kilometers, with Poland (border with the Kaliningrad region) - 32.2 kilometers, with Ukraine - 320 kilometers, with Georgia - 22.4 kilometers, with Azerbaijan - 22.4 kilometers, with Kazakhstan - 85.8 kilometers, with the DPRK - 22.1 kilometers.
Russia only has a maritime border with the United States and Japan. These are narrow straits that separate the Southern Kuril Islands from the island of Hokkaido and Ratmanov Island from Kruzenshtern Island. The length of the border with Japan is 194.3 kilometers, with the USA - 49 kilometers.
The longest maritime border (19,724.1 kilometers) runs along the coast of the seas of the Arctic Ocean: Barents, Kara, Laptev, East Siberian and Chukotka. Year-round navigation without icebreakers is possible only off the northern shores of the Kola Peninsula. All northern ports except Murmansk operate only during short northern navigation: 2–3 months. Therefore, the northern sea border is not of great importance for connections with other countries.
The second longest maritime border (16,997 kilometers) runs along the coast of the Pacific Ocean: Bering, Okhotsk, and Japanese. The southeastern coast of Kamchatka goes directly to the ocean. The main ice-free ports are Vladivostok and Nakhodka.
Railways reach the coast only in the south of Primorsky Krai in the port area and in the Tatar Strait (Sovetskaya Gavan and Vanino). The coastal areas of the Pacific coast are poorly developed and populated.
The length of the sea coast of the Baltic and Azov-Black Sea basins is small (126.1 kilometers and 389.5 kilometers, respectively), but is used with greater intensity than the coasts of the northern and eastern borders.
In the USSR, large ports were mainly built in the Baltic region. Now Russia can use their capacity only for a fee. The country's largest maritime merchant fleet is St. Petersburg; new ports and oil terminals are being built in the Gulf of Finland.
In the Sea of Azov, the maritime border runs from the Taganrog Bay to the Kerch Strait, and then along the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus. The main ports of the Black Sea coast are Novorossiysk (the largest port in Russia) and Tuapse. The Azov ports - Yeysk, Taganrog, Azov - are shallow and inaccessible to large ships. In addition, the Azov coast freezes for a short time and navigation here is supported by icebreakers.
The maritime border of the Caspian Sea is not precisely defined and is estimated by Russian border guards at 580 kilometers.
Cross-border populations and cooperation
Representatives of almost 50 nationalities live in the border regions of Russia and neighboring states. Of the 89 constituent entities of the Russian Federation, 45 represent border regions of the country. They occupy 76.6 percent of the entire territory of the country. They are home to 31.6 percent of the Russian population. The population of the border areas is 100 thousand people (as of 1993).
Cross-border cooperation is usually understood as a state-public structure, which includes Federal departments, government bodies of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, local governments, public activities, and public initiatives. Both old border regions and new ones are interested in developing cross-border cooperation. In the latter, problems periodically arise related to the sudden severance of established ties between neighboring regions. In a number of cases, the border “breaks” the resource (water, energy, information, etc.) communications of economic objects (for example, the energy dependence of the Omsk region on Kazakhstan). On the other hand, in new border regions, the flow of goods is constantly increasing, which can bring many benefits, subject to large investments in the appropriate infrastructure.
Thus, the border regions of states need joint socio-economic development, joint use of resource sources, establishing information infrastructure and restoring communications between the population.
The basis for the successful development of cross-border cooperation is good neighborly relations between the parties at the state level, a developed legislative framework (framework agreements on cooperation, legislative regulation of customs rules, abolition of double taxation, simplification of the procedure for moving goods) and the desire of the regions to participate in the development of cooperation.
Problems of cooperation in border areas
Despite the imperfection of Russian federal legislation regarding cross-border cooperation of its regions, at the level of municipal and local self-government, it is, one way or another, implemented in all 45 border regions.
Unestablished good neighborly relations with the Baltic countries do not provide opportunities for the widespread development of cross-border cooperation at the regional level, although its need is acutely felt by the population of border areas.
Today, on the border with Estonia, a simplified border crossing procedure is used for border residents. But from January 1, 2004, Estonia intends to switch to the strict visa regime established by the Schengen Agreement. Latvia abandoned the simplified procedure back in March 2001.
As for regional cooperation, back in July 1996, the Council for Cooperation of Border Regions was created in Põlva (Estonia), which included representatives of the Võru and Põlva counties of Estonia, the Aluksnensky and Balvi districts of Latvia, as well as the Palkinsky, Pechersky and Pskov districts of the Pskov region. The main tasks of the Council are the development of a joint strategy for cross-border cooperation and the implementation of projects in matters of improving infrastructure and environmental protection. More than two hundred enterprises with the participation of Estonian and Latvian capital operate in the Pskov region.
Starting next year, Lithuania will introduce visas for Russian citizens transiting through its territory. This decision affects the interests of residents of the Russian semi-enclave, the Kaliningrad region. Economic problems for the region may also arise due to the introduction of a visa regime by Poland. The authorities of the Kaliningrad region pin high hopes for resolving visa issues on the European Framework Convention on Transfrontier Cooperation between Territorial Communities and Authorities, which has just been ratified by Russia.
On a contractual basis, the Kaliningrad region interacts with seven voivodeships of Poland, four counties of Lithuania and the district of Bornholm (Denmark). In 1998, the region joined multilateral cross-border cooperation within the framework of the Baltic Euroregion, and its three municipalities joined the work to create the Saule Euroregion (with the participation of Lithuania and Latvia). In the second half of the 90s, a number of agreements were signed on interregional cooperation between the Kaliningrad region and the Klaipeda, Panevezys, Kaunas, and Marijampole counties of Lithuania.
Changes are being planned in relations at the state level between Ukraine and Russia. The Government of the Russian Federation approved the draft Program of interregional and cross-border cooperation between the Russian Federation and Ukraine for 2001–2007. At the regional level, it is actively carried out in the Krasnodar Territory and the Rostov Region.
Quite tense relations have developed in the Caucasus region of Russia and Georgia. In 2000, restrictions on movement between Georgia and Russia were introduced, which significantly affected the residents of both Ossetian republics. Today, at the regional level, the regions of North Ossetia have established border connections with the Kazbek region of Georgia; since August 2001, their residents can cross the border without obtaining visas.
The situation on the Dagestan section of the border is better: in 1998, through the efforts of the Dagestan government, restrictions on crossing the Russian state border with Azerbaijan were lifted, which helped reduce tensions and intensify economic ties. In pursuance of the intergovernmental agreement on trade and economic cooperation between Dagestan and Azerbaijan, an industry agreement has been prepared - on cooperation in the agro-industrial complex.
The expansion of cooperation between neighboring regions of Kazakhstan and Russia is associated with the issues of completing the processes of delimitation and demarcation of borders. For example, the Altai Territory actively cooperates with China, Mongolia and the Central Asian republics of the CIS (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan). The main partners in cross-border cooperation of the Altai Territory are the East Kazakhstan and Pavlodar regions of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The volume of foreign trade turnover between Altai and Kazakhstan is about a third of the region’s total foreign trade turnover. As a necessary legal basis for the development of this kind of cross-border cooperation, Russia is considering bilateral Cooperation Agreements between the regional administration and the regions of Kazakhstan.
The nature of border relations between the Russian Federation and Mongolia is determined by the underdevelopment of the western aimags of Mongolia. Trade with Mongolia is dominated by small contracts. A promising direction in cross-border cooperation between Russia and Mongolia is the development of ore deposits explored in the west of the country. If direct transport communication projects are implemented, the possible construction of a gas pipeline between Russia and China through Mongolia will create the necessary energy and infrastructure conditions for the participation of Siberian regions in the development of Mongolia's raw materials. A milestone in the development of relations was the opening of the Consulate General of Mongolia in Kyzyl in February 2002.
Cross-border cooperation between the regions of Russia and Japan is influenced by the Japanese side’s interest in the islands of the South Kuril chain. In 2000, the “Program of Japanese-Russian cooperation in the development of joint economic activities on the islands of Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai” was signed at the state level.
Former residents of the islands and members of their families - Japanese citizens - can visit the islands under a simplified visa regime. For many years, there have been visa-free exchanges between the parties. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan organizes Japanese language courses.
Objective difficulties are associated with the fact that the Japanese do not recognize the islands as Russian. The Japanese side's assistance in the construction of power plants and clinics can be viewed as an act of goodwill, and not as cooperation of equal parties.
The most active in the development of cooperation are the northwestern and southeastern directions - the “old” border regions.
Cooperation in the Russian-Finnish border region
The Murmansk and Leningrad regions, the Republic of Karelia are participants in cross-border cooperation with the regions of the Finnish side. There are several cooperation programs: the Nordic Council of Ministers program, the Interreg program and the Northern Dimension. The fundamental documents are the Agreements on the Establishment of Friendly Relations between Regions and bilateral cooperation plans.
In 1998, at the international seminar “External borders of the EU - soft borders” in Joensuu (Finland), the government of the Republic of Karelia proposed creating the Euroregion “Karelia”. The idea was supported by the leaders of cross-border regional unions and approved at the highest level of both states in the same year.
The goal of the project is to create a new model of cross-border cooperation between regional unions of Finland and the Republic of Karelia. The task is to remove barriers that exist in cooperation between territories, first of all, to develop communication between residents of adjacent regions.
In the structure of the economy of the Euroregion "Karelia", the main industry is the service sector, both in the territory of the Finnish regional unions and in the Republic of Karelia (at least two thirds of the working population are employed in this sector). The second largest industries are industry and construction, followed by agriculture and forestry.
The weaknesses of the Russian part of the region, which can negatively affect cooperation and must certainly be taken into account in close cooperation with the Finnish side, are the raw material orientation of industry, poor development of communications, local environmental problems and low living standards.
In October 2000, Karelia adopted the “Cross-border Cooperation Program of the Republic of Karelia for 2001–2006.” The Government of Finland approved and sent to the EU the Interreg-III A-Karelia Program on the territory of Finland. At the same time, in 2000, the general Action Program for 2001–2006 and the work plan for the next year were approved, according to which 9 priority projects were identified for implementation. These include the construction of an international automobile checkpoint, the development of scientific cooperation, and the development of the border territories of White Sea Karelia.
In January 2001, the activities of the Euroregion received support through the EU Tacis program - the European Commission allocated 160 thousand euros for the Euroregion Karelia project.
There is a simplified visa regime at the Russian-Finnish border.
Cooperation in the Russian-Chinese border region
Cross-border cooperation on the Russian-Chinese section of the border has a centuries-old history.
The legal basis for interregional relations is the Agreement signed on November 10, 1997 between the governments of the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China on the principles of cooperation between the constituent entities of Russia and the provinces, autonomous regions and cities of the central subordination of the People's Republic of China. The development of cross-border trade is facilitated by significant benefits provided by China to its participants (reduction of import tariffs by 50 percent).
In 1992, the State Council of the People's Republic of China declared four cities adjacent to Russia (Manchuria, Heihe, Suifenhe and Hunchun) “cities of cross-border cooperation.” Since that time, the Chinese side has been actively raising the issue of joint “free trade zones” on the border in the area of the main checkpoints.
In 1992, a simplified procedure for crossing the Chinese-Russian border was introduced.
At the end of November 1996, Chinese shopping complexes opened on the border, where Russian citizens are delivered with special passes (lists are compiled by the local administration).
To facilitate the individual commercial activities of residents of the border regions of Russia, in February 1998, through the exchange of notes, a Russian-Chinese Agreement was concluded on the organization of simplified passage of Russian citizens to the Chinese parts of shopping complexes.
On January 1, 1999, the Regulations on new rules for regulating cross-border trade came into force, in particular, residents of border areas are allowed to import goods worth three thousand yuan into China duty-free (previously - one thousand).
Among the promising projects is the development of cooperation in the field of the timber industry, construction of infrastructure facilities, construction of pipeline networks for interstate projects, etc.
Cooperation between the border regions of Russia and China is also developing through the programs of UNIDO and UNDP. The most famous is the UNDP regional project for the development of economic cooperation in the Tumen River Basin (Tumen River Area Development Program) with the participation of Russia, China, North Korea, the Republic of Korea and Mongolia. The main areas of cooperation are the development of transport and telecommunications infrastructure.
The two largest banks of the parties, Vneshtorgbank of Russia and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, entered into an agreement on settlements for cross-border trade between the two countries. The agreement provides for the possibility of conducting bilateral settlements for cross-border trade within one day on the basis of mutually established credit lines.
At the state level, a policy of cultural rapprochement between neighboring countries is being pursued: the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China has been opened in Khabarovsk, Chinese is taught in secondary and higher educational institutions, festivals, scientific conferences, and bilateral meetings of regional authorities and economic partners are held.
The main problem in the region is the Russian side's fear of demographic pressure from the Chinese population. The population density of border areas on the Russian side is extremely low in absolute and relative values compared to the population density on the Chinese side.
From the history of relations between the border population. Russian-Chinese and Russian-Korean sections of the border.
Economic activity and trade on the border of China and the Russian Empire were regulated by the following basic documents:
Aigun Treaty - allowed mutual border trade between citizens of both states living along the Ussuri, Amur and Sungari rivers.
The Beijing Treaty allowed free and duty-free barter trade along the entire border line between Russian and Chinese citizens.
“Rules for overland trade between Russia and China,” signed at the government level in 1862 for 3 years and then confirmed in 1869, established duty-free trade at a distance of 50 miles on both sides of the Russian-Chinese border.
The St. Petersburg Treaty of 1881 confirmed all the articles on the “Rules of Russian-Chinese trade in the Far East” that were recorded in previous treaties.
By the end of the 19th century, cross-border overland trade was the main form of economic relations between the Russian population of the Far East and Manchuria. It played an extremely important role, especially in the initial period of development of the region. The first settlers needed the most essential personal and household items. The Cossacks received tobacco, tea, millet, and bread from Manchuria, selling, in turn, cloth and fabrics. The Chinese willingly purchased furs, dishes, and silver in coins and products.
The trade turnover of the Russian Far East with Manchuria in 1893–1895 amounted to 3 million rubles and was distributed accordingly among the regions: Amur - one million rubles, Primorsk - 1.5–2 million rubles, Transbaikal - no more than 0.1 million rubles.
The porto-franco regime (duty-free trade regime) established in the border zone, along with positive aspects, contributed to the development of smuggling, which Chinese merchants widely used in their activities. The annual smuggling of gold into Manchuria at the end of the 19th century amounted to 100 poods (which amounted to 1,344 thousand rubles). The cost of smuggling furs and other goods (except gold) was approximately 1.5–2 million rubles. And Chinese Hanshin vodka and opium were smuggled into the Far East from Manchuria. The main import into the Primorsky region came along the Sungari River. For example, in 1645, 4 thousand pounds of opium worth up to 800 thousand rubles were brought to the Primorsky region. Smuggling of alcohol from the Amur region to China in 1909–1910 was estimated at approximately 4 million rubles.
In 1913, the Russian government extended the St. Petersburg Treaty (1881) for 10 years, excluding the article providing for duty-free trade within the 50-verst border strip.
In addition to cross-border trade, the Cossacks leased land shares to the Chinese and Koreans. There was mutual influence of the agricultural cultures of the Chinese, Koreans and Russians. The Cossacks learned to grow soybeans, melons, and corn. The Chinese used Cossack mills to grind grain. Another form of cooperation is the hiring of Chinese and Korean agricultural workers on Cossack farms, especially during seasonal periods of agricultural work. Relations between owners and workers were good, poor Chinese willingly took advantage of opportunities to earn money on Cossack farms. This also formed good neighborly relations on both sides of the border.
The Cossacks living on the border had strong, economically developed military, village and village economies, well-established economic, trade and cultural ties with the population of the adjacent territory, which had a positive effect on the general situation in the Russian-Chinese borderland and on the border itself. Many Ussuri and Amur Cossacks spoke Chinese well.
Good neighborly relations were manifested in the joint celebration of Russian, Orthodox and Chinese holidays. The Chinese came to visit their Cossack friends, the Cossacks went to celebrate the Chinese New Year. There were no particular problems with visiting friends on the neighboring side; the border in this regard was more conventional, all visits were under the control of the Cossack population and local authorities.
Of course, conflicts also arose at the local level. There are known cases of theft of livestock, hay, and use of hayfields by the other party. There were cases of Cossacks smuggling alcohol into neighboring territories and selling it through their friends. Disputes often arose over fishing on the Ussuri River and Lake Khanka. Conflicts were resolved by atamans and village boards or through the border commissioner of the South Ussuri Territory.
Key words of the abstract: territory and borders of Russia, territory and water area, sea and land borders, economic and geographical location.
Borders of Russia
The total length of the borders is 58.6 thousand km, of which 14.3 thousand km are land, and 44.3 thousand km are sea. Maritime borders are in 12 nautical miles(22.7 km) from the coast, and the border of the maritime economic zone is in 200 nautical miles(about 370 km).
On west The country borders Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Belarus. The Kaliningrad region has a border with Lithuania and Poland. In the southwest, Russia borders Ukraine; on South– with Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China and North Korea. Russia has the longest (7,200 km) land border with Kazakhstan. On east– maritime borders with Japan and the USA. On north The borders of the Russian sector of the Arctic are drawn along the meridians of Ratmanov Island and the northernmost point of the land border with Norway to the North Pole.
The largest islands in Russia by area are Novaya Zemlya, Sakhalin, Novosibirsk, Severnaya Zemlya, and Franz Josef Land.
The largest peninsulas of Russia are Taimyr, Kamchatka, Yamal, Gdansk, Kola.
Description of the border of the Russian Federation
The northern and eastern borders are maritime, while the western and southern borders are predominantly land. The large length of Russia's state borders is determined by the size of its territory and the outlines of its coastlines.
Western border begins on the coast of the Barents Sea from the Varangerfjord and passes first through the hilly tundra, then along the valley of the Pasvik River. In this area, Russia borders on Norway. Russia's next neighbor is Finland. The border runs along the Maanselkä hills, through heavily swampy terrain, along the slope of the low Salpausselkä ridge, and 160 km southwest of Vyborg it approaches the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea. In the far west, on the shores of the Baltic Sea and its Gulf of Gdansk, is the Kaliningrad region of Russia, which borders Poland and Lithuania. Most of the region's border with Lithuania runs along the Neman (Nemunas) and its tributary, the Sheshupa River.
From the Gulf of Finland, the border runs along the Narva River, Lake Peipus and Pskov Lake and then mainly along low plains, crossing more or less significant elevations (Vitebsk, Smolensk-Moscow, southern spurs of the Central Russian, Donetsk Ridge) and rivers (upper reaches of the Western Dvina, Dnieper, Desna and Seym, Seversky Donets and Oskol), sometimes along secondary river valleys and small lakes, through wooded hilly spaces, ravine-gully forest-steppe and steppe, mostly plowed, spaces to the Taganrog Bay of the Sea of Azov. Here, Russia's neighbors for over 1000 km are Estonia, Latvia, Belarus and Ukraine.
Southern border starts from the Kerch Strait, connecting the Sea of Azov with the Black Sea, and passes through the territorial waters of the Black Sea to the mouth of the Psou River. The land border with Georgia and Azerbaijan runs here: along the Psou Valley, then mainly along the Main Caucasus Range, moving to the Side Range in the area between the Roki and Kodori passes, then again along the Watershed Range to Mount Bazarduzu, from where it turns north to the Samur River, along the valley of which it reaches the Caspian Sea. Thus, in the Greater Caucasus region, the Russian border is clearly defined by natural boundaries and steep, high mountain slopes. The length of the border in the Caucasus is more than 1000 km.
Further, the Russian border passes through the Caspian Sea, from the coast of which, near the eastern edge of the Volga delta, the land border of Russia with Kazakhstan begins. It passes through the deserts and dry steppes of the Caspian lowland, at the junction of Mugodzhar and the Urals, through the southern steppe part of Western Siberia and through the Altai mountains. Russia's border with Kazakhstan is the longest (over 7,500 km), but almost not fixed by natural boundaries. Along the territory of the Kulundinskaya Plain at a distance of about 450 km, the border runs from northwest to southeast almost in a straight line, parallel to the direction of the Irtysh flow. True, about 1,500 km of the border runs along the Maly Uzen (Caspian), Ural and its left tributary Ilek, along the Tobol and its left tributary - the Uy River (the longest river border with Kazakhstan), as well as along a number of smaller tributaries of the Tobol.
Eastern part of the border- in Altai - orographically clearly expressed. It runs along the ridges separating the Katun basin from the Bukhtarma basin - the right tributary of the Irtysh (Koksuysky, Kholzunsky, Listvyaga, and in short sections - Katunsky and Southern Altai).
Almost the entire border of Russia from Altai to the Pacific Ocean runs along the mountain belt. At the junction of the Southern Altai, Mongolian Altai and Sailyugem ranges there is the Tavan-Bogdo-Ula mountain junction (4082 m). The borders of three states meet here: China, Mongolia and Russia. The length of the Russian border with China and Mongolia is 100 km longer than the Russian-Kazakh border.
The border runs along the Sailyugem ridge, the northern edge of the Ubsunur depression, the mountain ranges of Tuva, Eastern Sayan (Bolshoy Sayan) and Transbaikalia (Dzhidinsky, Erman, etc.). Then it goes along the Argun, Amur, Ussuri rivers and its left tributary - the Sungacha River. More than 80% of the Russian-Chinese border runs along rivers. The state border crosses the northern part of the waters of Lake Khanka and runs along the Pogranichny and Black Mountains ridges. In the extreme south, Russia borders on the DPRK along the Tumannaya River (Tumyn-Jiang). The length of this border is only 17 km. Along the river valley, the Russian-Korean border reaches the coast of the Sea of Japan south of Posyet Bay.
Eastern border of Russia passes through the expanses of water of the Pacific Ocean and its seas - the Japanese, Okhotsk and Bering seas. Here Russia borders with Japan and the USA. The border runs along more or less wide sea straits: with Japan - along the La Perouse, Kunashirsky, Izmena and Sovetsky straits, separating the Russian islands of Sakhalin, Kunashir and Tanfilyeva (Lesser Kuril Ridge) from the Japanese island of Hokkaido; with the United States of America in the Bering Strait, where the Diomede Island group is located. It is here that the state border of Russia and the United States passes along a narrow (5 km) strait between the Russian Ratmanov Island and the American Kruzenshtern Island.
Northern border goes through the seas of the Arctic Ocean.
Water area
Twelve seas of three oceans wash the shores of Russia. One sea belongs to the internal endorheic basin of Eurasia. The seas are located in different latitudes and climatic zones, differ in origin, geological structure, sizes of sea basins and bottom topography, as well as temperatures and salinity of sea waters, biological productivity and other natural features.
Table. Seas washing the territory
Russia and their characteristics.
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Russia is the largest country in the world in terms of territory, which accounts for 1/7 of the entire landmass. Canada, which is in second place, is almost twice as big as us. What about the length of Russia's borders? What is she like?
Longer than the equator
The borders of Russia stretch from the Pacific Ocean through all the marginal seas of the Arctic Ocean in the north, through the Amur, many kilometers of steppes and the Caucasus mountains in the south. In the west they extend across the East European Plain and Finnish marshes.
According to data for 2014 (excluding the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula), the total length of Russia’s borders is 60,932 km: land borders extend for 22,125 km (including 7,616 km along rivers and lakes) and sea borders for 38,807 km.
Neighbours
Russia also holds the record among countries with the largest number of border states. The Russian Federation neighbors 18 countries: in the west - with Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Belarus and Ukraine; in the south - with Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia and the DPRK; in the east - with Japan and the USA.
Border State | Length of land border, including river and lake borders (km) | Length of land border only (km) |
Norway | ||
Finland | ||
Belarus | ||
Azerbaijan | ||
South Ossetia | ||
Kazakhstan | ||
Mongolia | ||
North Korea | ||
The length of Russia's maritime borders is about 38,807 km, including sections along the oceans and seas:
- Arctic Ocean - 19724.1 km;
- Pacific Ocean - 16997.9 km;
- Caspian Sea - 580 km;
- Black Sea - 389.5 km;
- Baltic Sea - 126.1 km.
History of territory changes
How has the length of the Russian border changed? By 1914, the length of the territory of the Russian Empire was 4675.9 km in the direction from north to south and 10732.4 km from west to east. At that time, the total length of the borders was 69,245 km: of which, sea borders accounted for 49,360.4 km, and land borders amounted to 19,941.5 km. At that time, the territory of Russia was 2 million km 2 larger than the modern area of the country.
During the times of the USSR, the area of the union state reached 22,402 million km 2. The country stretched for 10,000 km from west to east and 5,000 km from north to south. The length of the borders at that time was the largest in the world and amounted to 62,710 km. After the collapse of the USSR, Russia lost about 40% of its territories.
The length of the Russian border in the north
Its northern part runs along the coast of the Arctic Ocean. The Russian sector of the Arctic is limited by conditional lines running in the west from the Rybachy Peninsula and in the east from Ratmanov Island to the North Pole. On April 15, 1926, a resolution was adopted by the Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars on the division of the Arctic into sectors based on the International Concept. It proclaimed the complete right of the USSR to all lands, including islands in the Arctic sector of the USSR.
Southern Frontier
The land border starts from which connects the Black and Azov Seas, passes through the territorial waters of the Black Sea to the Caucasian Psou River. Then it goes mainly along the Great Dividing Range of the Caucasus, then along the Samur River and further to the Caspian Sea. The land demarcation line between Russia, Azerbaijan and Georgia runs in this area. The length of the Caucasian border is more than 1000 km.
There are a huge number of problems in this area. Firstly, there is a conflict between Georgia and Russia over two self-proclaimed republics - South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Further, the border runs along the periphery of the Caspian Sea. In this area, there is a Russian-Iranian agreement on the division of the Caspian Sea, since during the Soviet era, only these two states divided the Caspian Sea. The Caspian states (Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan) demand an equal division of the waters of the Caspian Sea and its shelf, which is rich in oil. Azerbaijan has already started developing fields.
The border with Kazakhstan is the longest - more than 7,500 km. There is still an old inter-republican border between the two states, which was proclaimed in 1922. The question was raised about the transfer to Kazakhstan of parts of the country’s neighboring regions: Astrakhan, Volgograd, Omsk, Orenburg, Kurgan and Altai. Kazakhstan had to cede part of the following territories: North Kazakhstan, Tselinograd, East Kazakhstan, Pavlodar, Semipalatinsk, Ural and Aktobe. From the population census data for 1989 it follows that more than 4.2 million Russians live in the above-mentioned territories of Kazakhstan, and more than 470 thousand Kazakhs live in the mentioned territories of Russia.
The border with China runs along rivers almost everywhere (about 80% of the entire length) and extends for 4,300 km. The western part of the Russian-Chinese border is delimited, but not demarcated. It was only in 1997 that this area was demarcated. As a result, several islands, whose total area is 400 km 2, were left under joint economic management. And in 2005, all the islands within the river waters were demarcated. Claims to certain areas of Russian territory reached their maximum extent in the early 1960s. They included the entire Far East and Siberia.
In the southeast, Russia neighbors the DPRK. The entire border runs along the Tumannaya River, stretching only 17 km. Further along the river valley it reaches the shores of the Sea of Japan.
Western Frontier
Almost along its entire length, the border has a clear expression of natural boundaries. It originates from the Barents Sea and extends to the Pasvik River valley. The length of Russia's land borders in this territory is 200 km. A little further south, the border line with Finland stretches 1,300 km through heavily swampy terrain, which stretches to the Gulf of Finland in the Baltic Sea.
The extreme point of the Russian Federation is the Kalingrad region. It neighbors Lithuania and Poland. The total length of this line is 550 km. Most of the border with Lithuania runs along the Nemunas (Neman) River.
From the Gulf of Finland to Taganrog in the Sea of Azov, the border line stretches for 3150 km with four states: Estonia, Latvia, Belarus and Ukraine. The length of the Russian border is:
- with Estonia - 466.8 km;
- with Latvia - 270.6 km;
- with Belarus - 1239 km;
- with Ukraine - 2245.8 km.
Eastern border
Like the northern part of the borders, the eastern part is completely maritime. It extends across the waters of the Pacific Ocean and its seas: Japan, Bering and Okhotsk. The border between Japan and Russia passes through four straits: Sovetsky, Izmena, Kushanirsky and La Perouse. They separate the Russian islands of Sakhalin, Kushanir and Tanfilyev from the Japanese Hokkaido. Japan claims ownership of these islands, but Russia considers them an integral part of itself.
The state border with the United States passes through the Bering Strait through the Diomede Islands. Only 5 km separates the Russian Ratmanov Island from the American Krusenstern. It is the longest maritime border in the world.
Russia is a huge state in terms of territory. The boundaries pass both by land and by sea. I would like to remember in detail who borders Russia, because our neighbors are many states.
Length
Russian border guards have a rather difficult job protecting state borders, because the total length of the country’s borders (don’t be surprised!) is more than 62 thousand kilometers. Note that the land border is shorter than the sea border, amounting to 24,625 km. The sea boundaries respectively stretched for 37,736 km.
Which countries does Russia border by sea?
So, let’s first consider the maritime border of our country, which is protected by the navy from intruders and saboteurs. In the north, the Russian border (with some exceptions) runs entirely through the waters of the Arctic Ocean and touches the Baltic Sea. Who does Russia border on in the north? You can sail from Arkhangelsk across the Barents Sea to the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen. The northern coast of Russia is also washed by the Kara, East Siberian, Chukchi seas, and the Laptev Sea. Navigation along them is very difficult, but this does not create any particular inconvenience in communication between countries, since only a formal border with the North Pole passes here.
The Baltic Sea, although it is relatively small, provides a sea route from Russia to Sweden, Poland, the Baltic countries, and Finland.
Maritime eastern border
In the east, unlike the northern borders, the seas do not freeze, so maritime trade with neighbors is very active. Who borders Russia on the Bering, Okhotsk and Japanese seas? Powerful economically developed states: USA and Japan. It is with these partners that maritime trade in this region mainly takes place. The length of the border with Japan is 149 kilometers, and with the United States only 49 kilometers. From the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk you can sail to the port of Sapporo (Hokkaido Island, Japan) through the relatively small La Perouse Strait.
On this section of the border, Russia has a territorial conflict, that is, it is impossible to talk about a complete legally formed border. We are talking about the fate of the Kuril Islands (Japan also claims them). This dispute has been going on since 1945, when the USSR defeated Japan in the Soviet-Japanese War. As such, a peace treaty was not concluded at the end of World War II, so this territorial issue has yet to be resolved.
Western land border of Russia
The states bordering Russia in the west are mainly former Soviet republics. The longest part of the border in this section is Ukrainian. We are talking about 2245 kilometers. On the Russian side, Ukraine is adjacent to the territories of the Bryansk, Kursk, Belgorod, Voronezh, Rostov regions, as well as the Krasnodar Territory. Which regions of Ukraine border on Russia? There are many such regions, namely: Lugansk, Kharkov, Sumy, Chernihiv and Kiev regions. In connection with the well-known events in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, problems have arisen again, because control over the border with the Lugansk region of Ukraine has become more complicated.
The length of the border with Belarus is 2 times less than the Ukrainian section, and amounts to 1239 kilometers in numerical terms. If we specify by region, then from the Russian side you can enter the territory of the union Belarus from the lands of the Bryansk, Tver, Pskov, Smolensk regions.
In the north-west there is a land border with Latvia (270 km) and Estonia (466 km). The uniqueness of this part is that you can get from the Kaliningrad region to the territory of other regions of Russia by land only through the countries of the Schengen zone (the Baltic countries already have a visa-free regime with Europe, since they are members of the EU).
Asia: who borders Russia by land?
Russia's only Asian land neighbors from Asia are states that are huge in size but different in population density: Mongolia and China. It is this part of the land border that is very long, because the junction with the territory of China lasts 4209 km, and with Mongolia - 3485 km.
You can enter China from the following regions of the Russian Federation: Altai Republic, Chita, Amur, Khabarovsk regions, Jewish Autonomous Okrug and Primorsky Territory. If you are traveling to Russia from Mongolia, your route may run through the republics of Altai, Tyva, Buryatia, as well as through the Chita region.
Russia probably has the largest land border with Kazakhstan. This Republic has always been associated with the Asian world, but recently this axiom has begun to be questioned, because the national football team and club teams of this country take part in European cup tournaments. Therefore, the border with Kazakhstan is most likely European. By the way, the Russian Federation has very close economic ties with this state within the framework of the Customs Union, so the traffic of vehicles at checkpoints is very active.
But that's not all!
Which countries does Russia border on land in the north? It was said above that the northern part of Russia is mainly cold seas. But there are also land sections of the border with the Scandinavian countries. For example, the total boundary area with Finland is 1325 km, and with Norway - 219 km.
The southern neighbors of the Russian Federation are former components of the USSR: Georgia and Azerbaijan. Protecting the inviolability of Russian territory from encroachment from the lands of these states is problematic due to the geographical features of the mountainous terrain of the Caucasus.
In this article we looked at who borders Russia. The advantageous geographical position of our country on the world political map is emphasized by two points:
- The Russian Federation is located at the junction of two continents: Europe and Asia.
- There are common borders with more than 10 states.