- published: 16 Feb 2015
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Russia has international borders with 14 sovereign states as well as South Ossettia and Abkhazia, which are both recognized as sovereign states by Russia and a small number of other countries. With a land border of 20,241 kilometres (12,577 mi) in total it has, behind China, the second-longest land border of any country.
Table of countries with a land border with Russia listed anti-clockwise around Russia.
If Abkhazia and South Ossettia are counted as sovereign states:[citation needed]
The Sino-Russian border is the world's sixth-longest international border. However, it is split into two, one to the east of Mongolia and a much shorter one to the west.
The eastern border is over 3500 kilometres in length, with its true length only having been established in 1999 following a joint venture, and measured as 4,195 kilometres (2,607 mi). It starts at the eastern China - Mongolia - Russia tripoint (49°51′N 116°41′E / 49.85°N 116.683°E / 49.85; 116.683) and runs north-east, followed by south-east along the Argun and Amur rivers, and finally south-west along the Tumen River to the border with North Korea at (42°25′N 130°36′E / 42.417°N 130.6°E / 42.417; 130.6), only a few kilometres before the river flows into the Pacific Ocean.
Russia i/ˈrʌʃə/ or /ˈrʊʃə/ (Russian: Россия, tr. Rossiya; IPA: [rɐˈsʲijə] ( listen)), also officially known as the Russian Federation (Russian: Российская Федерация, tr. Rossiyskaya Federatsiya; IPA: [rɐˈsʲijskəjə fʲɪdʲɪˈratsɨjə] ( listen)), is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects. From northwest to southeast, Russia shares borders with Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland (both via Kaliningrad Oblast), Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia, and North Korea. It also has maritime borders with Japan by the Sea of Okhotsk, and the US state of Alaska by the Bering Strait. At 17,075,400 square kilometres (6,592,800 sq mi), Russia is the largest country in the world, covering more than one eighth of the Earth's inhabited land area. Russia is also the eighth most populous nation with 143 million people. It extends across the whole of northern Asia and 40% of Europe, spanning nine time zones and incorporating a wide range of environments and landforms. Russia has the world's largest reserves of mineral and energy resources and is the largest producer of oil and natural gas globally. Russia has the world's largest forest reserves and its lakes contain approximately one-quarter of the world's fresh water.