The total length of the borders of Russia. What countries border Russia? Geopolitical position of the state

Russia is the largest country in the world in terms of area, which is 1/7 of the entire land mass. Canada, which is in second place, is almost twice as large as us. And what about the length of Russia's borders? What is she?

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, the miles-long steppes and mountains of the Caucasus in the south. In the west, they extend through the East European Plain and the Finnish swamps.

According to data for 2014 (excluding the annexation of the Crimean peninsula), the total length of Russia's borders is 60,932 km: 22,125 km are land borders (including 7,616 km along rivers and lakes) and 38,807 km are sea borders.

Neighbours

Russia also holds the record among countries with the largest number of border states. The Russian Federation neighbors with 18 countries: in the west - with Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Belarus and Ukraine; in the south - with Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia and North Korea; in the east - with Japan and the USA.

The length of the maritime borders of Russia is about 38807 km, including segments 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 did the length of the Russian border change? By 1914, the length of the territory of the Russian Empire was 4,675.9 km from north to south and 10,732.4 km from west to east. At that time, the total length of the borders was 69,245 km: 49,360.4 km of them were maritime, and 19,941.5 km were land borders. Then the territory of Russia was 2 million km 2 larger than the modern area of ​​the country.

In Soviet times, the area of ​​the union state reached 22,402 million km2. 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 was equal 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 seas of the Arctic Ocean. The Russian sector of the Arctic is limited by conditional lines running to the west from the Rybachy Peninsula and to 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 full right of the USSR to all lands, including islands in the Arctic sector of the USSR.

Southern border

The land border starts from which connects the Black and Azov Seas, runs through the territorial waters of the Black Sea to the Caucasian river Psou. 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 boundary line between Russia, Azerbaijan and Georgia runs in this area. The length of the Caucasian border is more than 1000 km.

There are a lot of problems in this area. First, it 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. A Russian-Iranian agreement on the division of the Caspian is in force in this section, 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 deposits.

The border with Kazakhstan is the longest - more than 7500 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 neighboring regions of the country: 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 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 the PRC passes almost everywhere along rivers (about 80% of its entire length) and stretches for 4,300 km. The western part of the Russian-Chinese border is delimited, but not demarcated. Only in 1997 did the demarcation of this section take place. As a result, several islands, whose total area is 400 km 2, were left under joint economic rule. And in 2005, all the islands within the water area of ​​the rivers were demarcated. Claims for some sections of Russian territory were presented in their maximum volume in the early 1960s. They included the entire Far East and Siberia.

In the southeast, Russia is adjacent to the DPRK. The entire border runs along the Tumannaya River, stretching for only 17 km. Further along the river valley, it goes to the shores of the Sea of ​​Japan.

Western frontier

Almost along its entire length, the border has a pronounced natural boundary. It originates from the Barents Sea and extends to the Pasvik valley. The length of the land borders of Russia in this territory is 200 km. A little to the south, for 1300 km, the border line with Finland stretches through a heavily swampy area that stretches to the Gulf of Finland in the Baltic Sea.

The extreme point of the Russian Federation is the Kalingrad region. It is adjacent to Lithuania and Poland. The total length of this frontier is 550 km. Most of the border with Lithuania runs along the Nemunas (Neman) River.

From the Gulf of Finland to the Taganrog in the Sea of ​​Azov, a border line with four states stretched for 3150 km: 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 one is completely maritime. It stretches across the waters of the Pacific Ocean and its seas: the Sea of ​​Japan, the Bering Sea and the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. The border between Japan and Russia runs along four straits: Soviet, Treason, Kushanir and La Perouse. They separate the Russian islands of Sakhalin, Kushanir and Tanfiliev 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 along the Diomede Islands. Only 5 km separates the Russian island of Ratmanov from the American Krusenstern. It is the longest maritime border in the world.

According to international law state territory is a part of the Earth's surface, including internal and territorial waters, the subsoil under them and the airspace, to which the authority (jurisdiction) of this extends.

state border is a real line on the ground (territory, water area), defining the boundaries of the state territory.

The total length of the borders of the Russian Federation is 60 thousand 932 km, of which 22 thousand 125 km are land (including 7616 km along rivers and lakes), 38 thousand 807 km are sea (about 2/3). State borders are determined using two procedures - delimitation and demarcation. Delimitation is an agreement of states on the passage of the state border, demarcation- designation of the state border on the ground, fixing it with boundary signs.

After in Russia, there are the following types of borders:

1. The old borders coincide with the borders of the former USSR (inherited from the USSR), most of which are fixed by international treaties (the border with non-CIS countries - Norway, Finland, Poland, China, Mongolia, North Korea).

2. New borders with neighboring countries:

• former administrative, designed as state borders with the CIS countries (border with Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Azerbaijan);
• borders with the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania).

According to all international rules, Russia's borders are defined over 10,000 km. Russia accounts for more than 2/3 of all external borders of the CIS. Of the CIS countries, Moldova, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan do not have a common border with the Russian Federation. After the collapse of the USSR, Russia lost 40% of its equipped border.

Russia is a unique country, as it has customs and other borders "carried out" on the borders of the former USSR. After the collapse of the USSR, Russia and other CIS countries faced an intractable problem. On the one hand, the different rates of economic reforms, the inconsistency of financial and legislative systems objectively pushed them to close their economic space. On the other hand, when new state borders do not coincide with ethnic and cultural borders, public opinion does not accept the introduction of border restrictions, and most importantly, Russia was not able to quickly equip new borders in engineering and technical terms (1 km of state border development requires 1 billion rubles in 1996 prices). The problem of establishing customs points was acute. At the same time, integration processes in the CIS are developing weakly in spite of world processes. Currently, only the customs union (Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan) operates.

The northern and eastern borders of Russia are maritime (12 nautical miles), the western and southern borders are predominantly land. The great extent of the state borders of Russia is determined by the size of its territory and the sinuosity of the outlines of the coastlines of the seas of the Arctic, Pacific and Atlantic oceans, washing its shores.

The nature of the land borders in the west and east of the country is different. The boundaries drawn in pre-revolutionary Russia most often run along natural boundaries. With the expansion of the state, its borders had to be clearly fixed. In sparsely populated areas, the borders had to be easily recognizable. This was ensured by the clarity of the boundaries themselves: a river, a mountain range, etc. This character is mainly retained by the eastern part of the southern border.

The modern western and southwestern borders of Russia arose in a different way. These borders were previously intrastate, that is, they separated individual subjects on the territory of the country. These boundaries were often changed arbitrarily, that is, to a large extent, these are administrative boundaries. When such intrastate borders turned into interstate ones, they turned out to be almost unrelated to natural objects. Thus formed the borders of Russia with Finland and Poland. This applies even more to the borders that arose with the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Western border of Russia

Western border practically throughout its entire length it has no distinct natural boundaries. The border begins on the coast of the Barents Sea from the Varan gerfjord and passes first through the hilly tundra, then along the Pasvik river valley. In this section, Russia borders on Norway (since 1944) for 200 km (Pechenga-Nikel-Petsamo region). Norway proposes to move the western border of Russia in the Barents Sea to the east and, for its part, to take over 150,000 km2 of water under jurisdiction. There is no agreement with Norway on the delimitation of the continental shelf, which is one of the most promising areas in the world in terms of oil and gas reserves. Negotiations on this issue have been ongoing since 1970, the Norwegian side insists on the principle of equal separation of borders from the island possessions of the two countries. The land border was documented and demarcated (the first Russian-Norwegian border was established in 1251).

To the south, Russia borders on Finland (1300 km). The border goes along the Manselkya upland (crosses the Lotga, Nota, Vuoksa rivers), through a heavily swampy and lake-laden territory, along the slope of the low Salpouselkya ridge, and 160 km southwest of Vyborg comes to the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea. From 1809 to 1917 Finland was part of the Russian Empire. An agreement on the state border has been concluded with Finland, documents on its demarcation have been signed. Additionally, it will be necessary to draw up a junction of the maritime borders of Russia, Finland and Estonia. The Soviet part of the Saimaa Canal and Maly Vysotsky Island were leased to Finland in 1962 for a period of 50 years to ensure the transportation of goods from the hinterland of Finland with the possibility of their reloading or storage.

In the extreme west, on the shores of the Baltic Sea and its Gulf of Gdansk, there is the Kaliningrad region, which borders Poland (250 km) and Lithuania (300 km). Most of the border between the Kaliningrad region and Lithuania runs along the Neman (Nyamunas) River and its tributary, the Sheshupa River. An agreement with Lithuania on the demarcation of borders was signed in 1997, but there are still certain disagreements between the countries on drawing the border in the area of ​​Lake. Vishtinets, on the Curonian Spit and near the city of Sovetsk. There are no border problems between Russia and Poland.

From the Gulf of Finland, the border goes along the river. Narva, Lake Peipus and Pskov and further mainly along low plains, crosses the Vitebsk (Western Dvina), Smolensk-Moscow Uplands (Dnepr, Sozh), southern spurs of the Central Russian Upland (Desna, Seim, Psyol, Vorskla), Donetsk Ridge (Seversky Donets, Oskol) and goes to the Taganrog Bay of the Sea of ​​Azov. Here Russia's neighbors are Estonia, Latvia, Belarus and Ukraine.

With Estonia, the length of the border is more than 400 km. According to the Neshtat Peace Treaty, Estonia was part of Russia from 1721 to 1917, and was also part of the USSR from 1940 to 1991. Russia unilaterally demarcated the borders. Estonia laid claim to the Pechora region of the Pskov region (1500 km 2) - the former four volosts of the Petserimas district of Estonia, included in the Pskov region in 1944, part of the Kingisepp region of the Leningrad region and Ivangorod. These territories were transferred to Estonia in 1920. On May 18, 2005, the Foreign Ministers signed an agreement on the border between Russia and Estonia in the Gulf of Finland and Narva.

The length of the border with Latvia is 250 km. Latvia advocated the return of the Pytalovsky and Palkinsky districts of the Pskov region (1600 km 2) under its jurisdiction. In Latvia, the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of August 23, 1944 on the formation of the Pskov region is considered unconstitutional.

The length of the border with Belarus is about 1000 km. There are no border problems between Russia and Belarus.

With Ukraine, the length of the borders is about 1300 km. Work on establishing the state border between Russia and Ukraine is only being carried out, while there are quite serious problems between the countries. In the 1930s the eastern part of the Donbass, including the city of Taganrog, was transferred from Ukraine to the RSFSR. The western regions of the Bryansk region (Novozybkov, Starodub, etc.) used to belong to the Chernihiv region. By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR dated October 29, 1948, Sevastopol was singled out as an independent administrative and economic center with a special budget and classified as a city of republican subordination. This decree, when the Crimean region was transferred from the RSFSR to the Ukrainian SSR in 1954, was not recognized as invalid and has not been canceled to date. If the Crimean region was transferred insufficiently constitutionally, then the decision to transfer Sevastopol did not exist at all. The issue of the passage of the state border through the waters of the Sea of ​​Azov and the Kerch Strait is disputable. Russia believes that the Sea of ​​Azov with the Kerch Strait should be considered an inland sea of ​​Russia and Ukraine, while Ukraine insists on its division. The Russian Empire acquired access to the Azov and Black Seas as a result of many years of military operations against Turkey in the 16th-18th centuries. In 1925, at the base of the 11-kilometer Tuzla spit in the extreme west of the Taman Peninsula, a shallow channel was dug for the passage of fishing boats. In January 1941, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR changed the border (then administrative) in this place, transferring the now “island” of Tuzla from the Temryuk district of the Krasnodar Territory to the Crimean ASSR. In 1971, this "agreed administrative boundary between Krasnodar Krai and Crimea" was reaffirmed. As a result, after the declaration of independence of Russia and Ukraine, the only navigable Kerch-Yenikalinsk fairway was completely on the territory of Ukraine, as well as approximately 70% of the water area of ​​the Sea of ​​Azov. Ukraine charges for the passage of Russian ships through the Kerch Strait.

Southern border of Russia

southern border predominantly land, starts from the Kerch Strait, connecting the Azov and Black Seas, passes through the territorial waters of the Black Sea to the Psou River. Here begins the land border with Georgia and Azerbaijan. The border runs along the Psou valley, and then mainly along the Main, or Dividing Range of the Greater Caucasus (Mountains Elbrus, Kazbek), passes to the Side Range in the area between the Roki and Kodori passes, then again goes along the Dividing Range to Mount Bazardyuzyu. Further, the border turns north to the Samur River, along the valley of which it reaches the Caspian Sea. Thus, in the region of the Greater Caucasus, the border of Russia is clearly fixed by natural boundaries. This is due to the fact that nature limited the possibilities for the settlement of the peoples of the Caucasus by its steep high mountain slopes. The length of the Russian border in the Caucasus is more than 1000 km.

In the North Caucasus, Russia borders on Georgia and Azerbaijan. There is a whole bunch of border problems here. The establishment of the state border is primarily associated with the resolution of conflicts between Georgia and the "unrecognized entities" - Abkhazia and South Ossetia. During the Great Patriotic War in connection with the deportation of some peoples of the North Caucasus (Karachays, Balkars, Chechens), their national-territorial formations were liquidated, and the territories were “distributed” among their neighbors, including Georgia. The reconstruction of previously liquidated formations and the change of borders took place in 1957.

Further, the Russian border passes through the waters of the Caspian Sea. Currently, Russian-Iranian agreements on the division of the Caspian Sea are in force. But the new sovereign Caspian states - Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan - demand the division of the Caspian and its shelf, which is exceptionally rich in oil. Azerbaijan, without waiting for the final determination of the status of the Caspian Sea, has already begun to develop the subsoil.

From the coast of the Caspian Sea, near the eastern outskirts of the Volga delta, the longest land border between Russia and Kazakhstan begins. The border goes through the deserts and dry steppes of the Caspian lowland (Baskunchak and Elton lakes, the Maly and Bolshoi Uzei rivers; the General Syrt, the Ural and Ilek rivers), passes at the junction of the Mugodzhar with the Urals, then along the Trans-Ural plateau and the southern steppe part of Western Siberia ( Baraba lowland, Kulunda plain) and along the Altai mountains.

The border between Russia and Kazakhstan is the longest (over 7,500 km), but is almost not fixed by natural boundaries. For example, along the territory of the Kulundii 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. Nevertheless, about 1,500 km of the border runs along the Maly Uzen (Caspian), Ural, its left tributary - the Ilek River, 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. The eastern part of the border with Kazakhstan, passing through the Altai (Belukha Mountain), is distinctly expressed. The boundary runs along the ridges separating the Katun basin from the Bukhtarma basin, the right tributary of the Irtysh (Koksuysky, Kholzunsky, Listvyaga, in small areas - the Katunsky ridge and Southern Altai).

Between Russia and Kazakhstan there is a very conditional old "inter-republican" border. The borders of Northern Kazakhstan were proclaimed as early as 1922 - various public organizations raised the issue of changing the border between Russia and Kazakhstan, which has not yet been formalized. It was proposed to transfer to Kazakhstan parts of the border regions of Russia (Astrakhan, Volgograd, Orenburg, Omsk, Kurgan and Altai Territories), on the other hand, we are talking about the transfer to Russia of the northern regions of Kazakhstan (North Kazakhstan, Kokchetav, Tselinograd, Kustanai , East Kazakhstan, near the Irtysh part of Pavlodar and Semipalatinsk, northern parts of the Ural and Aktobe regions). According to the 1989 census, about 470 thousand Kazakhs lived in the south of Russia, and more than 4.2 million Russians lived in the north-west, north and north-east of Kazakhstan. At present, Russia and Kazakhstan have signed an agreement on the delimitation of the state border.

Almost the entire border of Russia from Altai to the Pacific Ocean runs along the mountain belt. In the junction of the ridge in the Southern Altai, Mongolian Altai and Sailyugem there is a mountain junction Tabyn-Bogdo-Ula (4082 m). The borders of three states converge here: Russia, China and Mongolia.

The border with Mongolia runs along the Sailyugem ridge (the Western Tannu-Ola, Eastern Tannu-Ola, Sengilen, Eastern Sayan - Mount Munku-Sardyk, 3492 m), the northern outskirts of the Ubsunur basin, the mountain ranges of Tuva, the Eastern Sayan (Big Sayan) and the ridges Transbaikalia (Dzhidinkiy, Erman and a number of others). The length of the borders is about 3000 km. A border treaty and demarcation agreements have been signed between Russia and Mongolia.

The border with China goes along the river. Argun (Nerchinsky Range), Amur (Borshchovochny Range, Amur-Zeya Plain, Blagoveshchensk City, Zeya River, Zeya-Bureya Lowland, Bureya River, Khabarovsk City, Lower Amur Lowland), Ussuri 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 water area of ​​Lake Khanka (Prikhankayskaya lowland), runs along the ridges of the Pogranichny and Black Mountains. Russia borders China for 4,300 km. The western section of the Russian-Chinese border is delimited, but not demarcated. Only in 1997 was the demarcation of the Russian-Chinese border in the eastern section completed, several border islands on the river. Argun and Amur with a total area of ​​400 km 2 was left in "joint economic use", in 2005 almost all the islands within the water areas of the rivers were demarcated. China's claims to Russian territory (then the territory of the USSR) in their maximum volume were declared in the early 1960s. and covered the entire Far East and Siberia.

In the extreme south, Russia borders on North Korea along the river. Foggy (Tumynjiang). The length of the border is only 17 km. Along the river valley, the Russian-Korean border goes to the coast of the Sea of ​​Japan to the south of Posyet Bay. Russia and North Korea signed an agreement on the demarcation of borders and the delimitation of maritime space.

Eastern border of Russia

Eastern border Russian maritime. The border runs along the waters of the Pacific Ocean and its seas - the Sea of ​​Japan. Okhotsky, Beringov. The border with Japan runs along the La Perouse, Kunashirsky, Treason and Soviet Straits, which separate the Russian islands of Sakhalin, Kunashir and Tanfilyev (Small Kuril Ridge) from the Japanese island of Hokkaido.

Japan disputes with Russia the islands of the Lesser Kuril ridge (Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and the Khabomai ridge with a total area of ​​8548.96 km 2), called the "northern territories". The dispute is about the state territory and water area of ​​the Russian Federation with a total area of ​​300 thousand km 2, including the economic zone of the islands and the sea, rich in fish and seafood, and the shelf zone, which has oil reserves. In 1855, an agreement was concluded with Japan, according to which the islands of the Lesser Kuril Ridge were transferred to Japan. In 1875, all the Kuril Islands pass to Japan. As a result of the Russo-Japanese War, under the Portsmouth Treaty of 1905, Russia ceded South Sakhalin to Japan. In September 1945, after Japan signed the act of unconditional surrender, the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin Island became part of the USSR, but the San Francisco Treaty of 1951, which seized the Kuril Islands from Japan, did not determine their new nationality. According to the Japanese side, the South Kuril Islands have always belonged to Japan and are in no way connected with the 1875 treaty, they are not part of the Kuril ridge, but of the Japanese Islands, therefore they are not subject to the San Francisco Treaty.

The border with the United States is located in the Bering Strait, where the Diomede Islands group is located, and passes through a narrow (5 km wide) strait between the Russian island of Ratmanov and the American island of Krusenstern. Border issues with the US have been resolved. In 1867, the Russian Empire, during the reign of Alexander II, sold Alaska for $7 million. There are certain difficulties in the final establishment of the maritime border between Russia and the United States in the Bering Strait ("Shevardnadze zone"). The Russian-US border is the longest maritime border in the world.

Northern border of Russia

northern border Russia, like the eastern one, is maritime and passes through the seas of the Arctic Ocean. The Russian sector of the Arctic is limited by conditional lines running to the west from the Rybachy Peninsula and to the east from Ratmanov Island to the North Pole. The meaning of the concept of "polar possessions" is revealed in the Decree of the Central Executive Committee (CEC) and the Council of People's Commissars (SNK) of the USSR of April 15, 1926, adopted on the basis of the International Concept on the division of the Arctic into sectors. The Decree proclaimed "the right of the USSR to all islands and lands in the Arctic sector of the USSR." There is no question of any ownership of the waters of this sector of Russia. Along the northern coast and islands of the Arctic, Russia owns only its territorial waters.

Keywords abstract: territory and borders of Russia, territory and water area, sea and land borders, economic and geographical position.

Russian borders

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. The maritime borders are 12 nautical miles(22.7 km) from the coast, and the border of the maritime economic zone - in 200 nautical miles(about 370 km).

On the west The country borders on Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Belarus. The Kaliningrad region has a border with Lithuania and Poland. In the southwest, Russia borders on Ukraine; on South– with Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China and North Korea. Russia has the longest (7200 km) land border with Kazakhstan. On the east- maritime borders with Japan and the United States. On the north the borders of the Russian sector of the Arctic are drawn along the meridians of Ratmanov Island and the extreme northern point of the land border with Norway to the North Pole.

The largest islands in Russia are Novaya Zemlya, Sakhalin, Novosibirsk, Severnaya Zemlya, 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 the state borders of Russia is determined by the size of its territory and the outlines of the 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 Paz River. In this section, Russia borders on Norway. Russia's next neighbor is Finland. The border goes along the Maanselkä upland, through a heavily swampy area, along the slope of the low Salpausselkä ridge, and 160 km southwest of Vyborg comes to the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea. In the extreme west, on the shores of the Baltic Sea and its Gdansk Bay, 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 Sheshup River.

From the Gulf of Finland, the border goes along the Narva River, Lake Peipus and Pskov and further mainly along low plains, crossing more or less significant uplands (Vitebsk, Smolensk-Moscow, southern spurs of the Central Russian, Donetsk Ridge) and rivers (upper Zapadnaya Dvina, Dnieper, Desna and Seima, Seversky Donets and Oskol), sometimes along secondary river valleys and small lakes, through wooded hilly spaces, ravine-beam forest-steppe and steppe, mostly plowed, open spaces to the Taganrog Bay of the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov. Here, Russia's neighbors for over 1000 km are Estonia, Latvia, Belarus and Ukraine.

southern border It starts from the Kerch Strait, which connects 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 passes here: along the Psou valley, then mainly along the Main Caucasian Range, passing to the Side Range in the area between the Roki and Kodor Passes, then again goes along the Dividing Range to Mount Bazardyuzyu, from where it turns north to the Samur River, along the valley which reaches the Caspian Sea. Thus, in the region of the Greater Caucasus, the border of Russia is clearly fixed by natural, natural boundaries, steep high mountain slopes. The length of the border in the Caucasus is more than 1000 km.

Further, the border of Russia passes through the waters of the Caspian Sea, from the coast of which, near the eastern margin of the Volga delta, the land border of Russia with Kazakhstan begins. It passes through the deserts and dry steppes of the Caspian lowland, in the junction of Mugodzhar with 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. On the territory of the Kulunda 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. True, about 1500 km of the border runs along the rivers Maly Uzen (Caspian), Ural and its left tributary Ilek, along the Tobol and along 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 distinctly expressed. It runs along the ridges separating the Katun basin from the Bukhtarma basin - the right tributary of the Irtysh (Koksuysky, Kholzunsky, Listvyaga, in short stretches - Katunsky and Southern Altai).

Almost the entire border of Russia from Altai to the Pacific Ocean runs along the mountain belt. In the junction of the Southern Altai, Mongolian Altai and Sailyugem ranges, there is a mountain junction Tavan-Bogdo-Ula (4082 m). The borders of three states converge 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 Saylyugem ridge, the northern outskirts of the Ubsunur basin, the mountain ranges of Tuva, the Eastern Sayan (Big Sayan) and Transbaikalia (Dzhidinsky, Erman, etc.). Then it goes along the rivers Argun, Amur, Ussuri and its left tributary - the Sungach River. More than 80% of the Russian-Chinese border runs along rivers. The state border crosses the northern part of the water area of ​​Lake Khanka, runs along the Pogranichny and Chernye Gory ridges. In the extreme south, Russia borders on the DPRK along the Tumannaya River (Tumynjiang). The length of this border is only 17 km. Along the river valley, the Russian-Korean border goes to the coast of the Sea of ​​Japan to the south of Posyet Bay.

Eastern border of Russia passes through the water expanses of the Pacific Ocean and its seas - the Sea of ​​Japan, the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Bering Sea. Here Russia borders on Japan and the United States. The border runs along more or less wide sea straits: with Japan - along the Laperouse, Kunashirsky, Treason and Sovetsky straits separating the Russian islands of Sakhalin, Kunashir and Tanfilyev (Small Kuril Ridge) from the Japanese island of Hokkaido; with the United States of America in the Bering Strait, where the Diomede Islands group is located. It is here that the state border between Russia and the United States passes along the narrow (5 km) strait between the Russian island of Ratmanov and the American island of Krusenstern.

northern border goes through the seas of the Arctic Ocean.

water area

Twelve seas three oceans wash the shores of Russia. One sea belongs to the inner drainless basin of Eurasia. The seas are located in different latitudes and climatic zones, differ in origin, geological structure, the size of sea basins and bottom topography, as well as the temperature and salinity of sea waters, biological productivity and other natural features.

Table. The seas surrounding the area
Russia and their characteristics.

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The Russian Federation is the largest state on the planet. Its area is estimated in millions of square kilometers. What countries border Russia? And what are the features of the geopolitical position of this country? This will be discussed in this article.

What countries border Russia?

Russia is the world's largest country in terms of size. Its area is just over 17 million square kilometers. True, only 146 million people live in such a vast territory, so the average population density in the country is small (8.4 people per square kilometer of area). How many countries does Russia border on?

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 in total.

What 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 shares a sea border with two other states: Japan and the United States.

Features of the geopolitical position of modern Russia

Geopolitical models see Russia as a major player surrounded by so-called large spheres (according to Cohen). In the west there is a block 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 fully 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 position, 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 world 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 state border of Russia.

Western borders of Russia

The western border of Russia begins on the coast of the Barents Sea and practically does not meet borders of natural origin on its way. What countries borders Russia in 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 between the Russian Federation and Ukraine (about 1300 km), and the shortest - with Norway (200 km). It should be noted that there are no border problems and any territorial claims only between Russia and Belarus in this area. The Crimean peninsula is the main object of the dispute with Ukraine, the Pskov region - with Latvia. Norway also lays claim to part of the water area in the Barents Sea, which belongs to Russia.

Southern borders of Russia

What countries borders Russia 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 boundary is very conditional and practically does not coincide with natural objects (passes through desert areas or mountain ranges).

Perhaps the most problematic 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

To the east, Russia borders North Korea by land and 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 the water area in the Sea of ​​Japan.

With two other states in the east, Russia borders exclusively on the sea. The Russian-American maritime border is considered to be 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, the problems with the demarcation of many sections of the state border of Russia have not yet been resolved. In addition, many neighboring countries make territorial claims to the Russian Federation.

Russia has common borders with a number of European countries. Russia (Murmansk region) and Norway have 196 km of borders. The length of the border between Russia (Murmansk region, Karelia, Leningrad region) and Finland is 1340 km. The border line of 294 km separates Estonia and the Leningrad and Pskov regions of Russia. The Russian-Latvian border is 217 km long and separates the Pskov region from the territory of the European Union. The Kaliningrad region, located several times, has a 280 km border with Lithuania and 232 km with Poland.

The total length of Russia's borders is, according to the border service, 60,900 km.

Western and southwestern borders.

Russia has 959 km of common border with Belarus. Russia has 1974 km of land and 321 km of maritime common border with Ukraine. With Belarus, the Pskov, Smolensk and Bryansk regions, and with Ukraine - the Bryansk, Belgorod, Voronezh and Rostov regions. In the region of the Caucasus Mountains, Russia has a 255 km border with Abkhazia, 365 km with Georgia, 70 km with South Ossetia (or 690 km of the border with Georgia according to the UN), as well as 390 km of the border strip with Azerbaijan. Krasnodar Territory and Karachay-Cherkessia border on Abkhazia, Karachay-Cherkessia, Kabardino-Balkaria, North Ossetia, Ingushetia, Chechen and Dagestan border on Georgia. With South Ossetia North Ossetia. Dagestan borders Azerbaijan.

Estonia, Latvia, the Republic of China (Taiwan) and Japan are trying to challenge part of the border territories of Russia.

Southern borders.

The longest border of the Russian Federation is with Kazakhstan - 7512 km. Russian regions bordering Central Asia - Astrakhan, Volgograd, Saratov, Samara, Orenburg, Chelyabinsk, Kurgan, Tyumen, Omsk, Novosibirsk regions, as well as the Altai Territory and the Altai Republic. Russia has 3485 km of border with Mongolia. Mongolia borders Altai, Tuva, Buryatia and the Trans-Baikal Territory. Russia has 4,209 km of border with the People's Republic of China. This border separates the Altai Republic, the Amur Region, the Jewish Autonomous Region, the Khabarovsk and Primorsky Territories from China. Primorsky Krai also has a 39 km border with North Korea.

Russia has borders of exclusive economic zones with Norway, the USA, Japan, Abkhazia, Ukraine, Sweden, Estonia, Finland, North Korea, Turkey, Poland and Lithuania.

Maritime borders.

Russia borders by sea with 12 countries - the USA, Japan, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine, Abkhazia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and North Korea.

Switzerland is a country in Western Europe. It borders on several other European states, has no access to the sea, part of the border runs through the Alpine Mountains. The old name for Switzerland is Helvetia, or Helvetia.

Swiss borders

The area of ​​Switzerland is about 3 thousand square meters. km. There are several other states in the neighborhood. Switzerland borders Germany to the north, France to the west, Austria and Liechtenstein to the east, and Italy to the south.

A significant part of the border with Germany runs along the Rhine River, and near Schaffhausen the river crosses into Switzerland. Then, on the eastern side, part of the border with Germany and Austria runs along the shore of Lake Borden. with France, it also passes along the water shore - this is Lake Geneva, it is known for its beauty and picturesque landscapes. Of all the borders of Switzerland with different countries, the longest is the Italian one. Its length is approximately 741 km. To feel the difference, it is useful to say that with France the length of the border is only 570 km, and with Germany - about 360 km. The length of the border with Austria and Liechtenstein in total is about 200 km.

Geography of Switzerland

More than half of the territory of Switzerland is covered by the Alps (only 58% of the territory). Another 10% of Switzerland is occupied by the Jura mountains. It's no surprise that Switzerland's ski resorts are among the most popular in the world, with many of the most beautiful peaks and slopes. The highest mountain in the Jura system, Mont-Tandre, is located in Switzerland. The highest point in Switzerland, however, is in the Alps, Dufour Peak. Lake Lago Majore is the most significant of the country.

In the central part of Switzerland there is a mountain plateau, it is called the Swiss Plateau. Most of the industry is located in this part of the country. Agriculture and cattle breeding are especially developed here. Almost the entire population of the country lives in the Swiss plateau.

The territory of Switzerland is largely covered by various lakes, many of which are of glacial origin. In total, according to experts, about 6% of the world's fresh water is concentrated in the country! Despite the fact that the territory of the country is relatively small. In Switzerland, such large rivers as the Rhine, Rhone and Inn begin.

Switzerland is usually divided into 4 districts. The most flat is the northern one, there are the cantons of Aargau, Glarus, Basel, Thurgau, St. Gallen and Zurich. The western region is already covered by mountains to a greater extent, Geneva, Bern, Vaud, Fribourg and Neuchâtel are located there. In central Switzerland are the cantons of Unterwalden, Lucerne, Uri and Schwyz. The southern region of the country is quite small in area.

Why is Switzerland called that?

The Russian name of the country goes back to the word Schwyz - that was the name of the canton (as the administrative unit is called in Switzerland), which became the core for all the other cantons to unite around it in 1291. In German, this canton is called Schweiz.

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Once a union country called Czechoslovakia had a state border, after crossing which one could get into two completely different worlds - capitalist and socialist. The first was represented on the map by West Germany (FRG) and Austria, the second - by East Germany (GDR), Poland, Hungary and the Soviet Union (Ukrainian SSR). But after the well-known political events of the early 90s, the current Czech Republic has only four neighbors left - now united Germany, Austria, Poland and Slovakia, which separated from it.

USSR, farewell!

For four decades, Czechoslovakia, building socialism, both with the capitalist Germany and Austria, and with other representatives of the European socialist camp - Hungary, the GDR, Poland and even the USSR. But, since the political and closely related territorial redistributions in Europe took place not only in the territory of the former Czechoslovakia, but also in other countries of the continent, the changes turned out to be serious. Firstly, the “pro-Soviet” GDR and the “hostile”, and therefore willingly accepting Czech emigrants, FRG, which became a single Germany, disappeared from the world map forever.

Secondly, after a peaceful “divorce” with Slovakia, later called “velvet”, the sovereign Czech Republic lost its common border not only with Hungary, but also with Ukraine, which had left the USSR by that time. By the way, the disintegration of Czechoslovakia into two separate states is the only such case in Europe that was not accompanied by an armed conflict, bloodshed, mutual territorial border claims and other revolutionary excesses.

Finally, thirdly, the newly minted country in the center of the continent has a new border - with kindred Slovakia. And the total length of the border strip is now 1880 km. In Czechoslovakia, it was, of course, longer. The longest section of the Czech border is located in the north and connects it with Poland, it is 658 km. The Czech-German border in the west and north-west of the country is in second place and is slightly inferior to the leader - 646 km. The third longest is the southern state border with Austria, it reaches 362 km. And the last, fourth place, is occupied by the eastern and youngest border, with Slovakia, - only 214 km.

Edge at the border

With the former Polish People's Republic, with its mining Silesian region, the Czech Republic is connected by a common border in four more regions - in Pardubice (Pardubice), Kralovegrad (Hradec-Kralove), Olomouc (Olomouc), where it has the longest length - 104 km, and , finally, in Moravian-Silesian (Ostrava). In the north and northeast, the Moravian-Silesian Region is in close contact with Poland, and in the southeast - with Slovakia. There is also a common border with the “relative” at the Carpathian region of Zlín (Zlin) and South Moravian (Brno), next to which there is not only the Slovak, but also the Austrian border area.

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