What Countries Have the Most and Least Neighbors?

While some countries have many neighbors, others have very few. The number of bordering countries a nation has is an extremely important factor when considering its geopolitical relationship with surrounding countries. International borders play an important role in trade, national security, access to resources, and more. 

Many Neighbors

China and Russia each have fourteen neighboring countries, more neighbors than the other countries of the world.

Russia, the world's largest country in area, has these fourteen neighbors: Azerbaijan, Belarus, China, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mongolia, North Korea, Norway, Poland, and Ukraine.

China, the world's third largest country in the area but the world's most populous country, has these fourteen neighbors: Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Vietnam.

Brazil, the world's fifth largest country, has ten neighbors: Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, France (French Guiana), Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

Few Neighbors

Countries that occupy only islands (such as Australia, Japan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Iceland) may have no neighbors, although some island countries do share a border with a country (such as the United Kingdom and Ireland, Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and Papua New Guinea and Indonesia).

There are ten non-island countries that share a border with only one country. These countries include Canada (which shares a border with the United States), Denmark (Germany), Gambia (Senegal), Lesotho (South Africa), Monaco (France), Portugal (Spain), Qatar (Saudi Arabia), San Marino (Italy), South Korea (North Korea), and the Vatican City (Italy).