List of countries and dependencies by length of coastline

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This article contains a list of countries and dependencies by length of coastline, in kilometers. Though the coastline paradox stipulates that coastlines do not have a well-defined length, there are various methods in use to measure coastlines through ratios and other metrics. A coastline of zero indicates that the country is landlocked.

Coastline Paradox

An example of the coastline paradox. If measured using an interval of 125 mi (200 km), the coast of Great Britain has a length of about 1,500 mi (2,400 km). Using an interval of 30 mi (50 km), the length is about 2,100 mi (3,400 km).

The coastline paradox states that a coastline does not have a well-defined length. Measurements of the length of a coastline behave like a fractal, being different at different scale intervals (distance between points on the coastline at which measurements are taken). The smaller the scale interval (meaning the more detailed the measurement), the longer the coastline will be. This "magnifying" effect is greater for convoluted coastlines than for relatively smooth ones.

Data sources

Data marked The World Factbook or TWF is derived from the book published by the Central Intelligence Agency and covers 198 countries and 55 territories. Note that the scales at which The World Factbook figures were measured are not stated, nor is it known whether the figures are all reported using the same scale, thus the figures are not necessarily comparable across different countries.

Data marked World Resources Institute or WRI covers 182 independent countries and 13 dependencies, based on data calculated in 2000 from the World Vector Shoreline, United States Defense Mapping Agency, 1989. It may include territories whose status have changed. According to their technical notes,

"Coastline length was derived from the World Vector Shoreline database at 1:250,000 scale. The estimates (...) were calculated using a Geographic Information System (GIS) and an underlying database consistent for the entire world. The methodology used to estimate length is based on the following: 1) A country's coastline is made up of individual lines, and an individual line has two or more vertices and/or nodes. 2) The length between two vertices is calculated on the surface of a sphere. 3) The sum of the lengths of the pairs of vertices is aggregated for each individual line, and 4) the sum of the lengths of individual lines was aggregated for a country. In general, the coastline length of islands that are part of a country, but are not overseas territories, are included in the coastline estimate for that country (e.g., Canary Islands are included in Spain). Coastline length for overseas territories and dependencies are listed separately. Disputed areas are not included in country or regional totals."

In addition to coastline lengths, The World Factbook is the source of the land area used to calculate the "coast/area ratio" for both coastline measurements. This ratio measures how many metres of coastline correspond to every square kilometer of land area. The ratio illustrates the ease of accessibility to the country's coast from every point in its interior. Therefore, an island country like Maldives, or a country carved by the sea like Greece, is more likely to have a high ratio, while a landlocked country will have a ratio of zero.

List

Data are from the CIA World Factbook and the World Resources Institute. Non-sovereign areas are listed in italics.

Location Coastline
(km) 		Land area
(km2) 		Coast/area
ratio
(m/km2) 		Note
(CIA) (WRI) (CIA) (WRI)
 World 356,000 1,634,701 148,940,000 2.39 11.0 World total includes countries not listed and coastline for disputed areas.
Canada 202,080 265,523 9,093,507 22.2 29.2
Norway 83,281 53,199 304,282 274 175 Includes coastline of outlying islands.
Indonesia 54,716 95,181 1,811,569 30.2 52.5
European Union 53,563 4,236,351 12.6 The European Union is included because it has certain attributes associated with independent countries. However, the EU is not a federation in the strict sense.
Greenland (Denmark) 44,087 2,166,086 20.4
Russia 37,653 110,310 16,377,742 2.30 6.74 Russia has an additional 850 km of coastline along the Caspian Sea, which is landlocked.
Philippines 36,289 33,900 298,170 122 114
Japan 29,751 29,020 364,485 81.6 79.6
Australia 25,760 66,530 7,682,300 3.35 8.66
United States 19,924 133,312 9,147,593 2.18 14.6
Antarctica (Disputed) 17,968 14,200,000 1.27
New Zealand 15,134 17,209 264,537 57.2 65.1
China 14,500 30,017 9,326,410 1.55 3.22
Greece 13,676 15,147 130,647 105 116 Includes coastline of outlying islands.
United Kingdom 12,429 19,717 241,930 51.4 81.5
Mexico 9,330 23,761 1,943,945 4.80 12.2
Italy 7,600 9,226 294,140 25.8 31.4
Denmark 7,314 5,316 42,434 179 217
India 11,098 17,181 2,973,193 2.35 5.78
Brazil 7,491 33,379 8,358,140 0.896 3.99
Turkey 7,200 8,140 769,632 9.36 10.6
Chile 6,435 78,563 743,812 8.65 106
Micronesia 6,112 1,295 702 8,710 1,840
Croatia 5,835 5,664 55,974 112 101 Includes coastline of outlying islands.
Solomon Islands 5,313 9,880 27,986 190 353
Papua New Guinea 5,152 20,197 452,860 11.4 44.6
Argentina 4,989 8,397 2,736,690 1.82 3.07
Iceland 4,970 8,506 100,250 49.6 84.8
Spain 4,964 7,268 498,980 9.95 14.6 Includes coastline length for the Canary Islands.
France 4,853 7,330 640,427 7.58 11.4
Madagascar 4,828 9,935 581,540 8.30 17.1
Malaysia 4,675 9,323 328,657 14.2 28.4
Estonia 3,794 2,956 42,388 89.5 69.7
Cuba 3,735 14,519 109,820 34.0 132
Svalbard (Norway) 3,587 62,045 57.8
Bahamas 3,542 11,238 10,010 354 1,120
Vietnam 3,444 11,409 310,070 11.1 36.8 Excludes minor outlying islands.
Somalia 3,333 3,898 627,337 4.82 6.21
Thailand 3,219 7,066 510,890 6.30 13.8
Sweden 3,218 26,384 410,335 7.84 64.3
Colombia 3,208 5,875 1,038,700 3.09 5.66
Coral Sea Islands (Australia) 3,095 <3 >1,000,000
French Southern and Antarctic Lands (France) 2,948.4 7,667.6 385 Does not include Saint Paul Island and the Crozet Islands (data unavailable) or the Adélie Land claim to Antarctica.
Morocco 2,945 2,009 716,550 2.56 2.80
Venezuela 2,800 6,762 882,050 3.17 7.67
South Africa 2,798 3,751 1,214,470 2.30 3.09
Ukraine 2,782 4,953 603,628 4.80 8.55
Saudi Arabia 2,640 7,572 2,149,690 1.23 3.52
Vanuatu 2,528 3,132 12,189 207 257
French Polynesia (France) 2,525 5,830 3,827 660 1,520
North Korea 2,495 4,009 120,408 20.7 33.3
Panama 2,490 5,637 74,340 33.5 75.8
Mozambique 2,470 6,942 786,380 3.14 8.83
Egypt 2,450 5,898 995,450 2.46 5.92
Iran 2,440 5,891 1,531,595 1.59 3.85 Includes coastline of outlying islands. Iran has an additional 740 km of coastline along the Caspian Sea, which is landlocked.
Peru 2,414 3,362 1,279,996 1.89 2.63
South Korea 2,413 12,478 96,920 24.9 129
Germany 2,389 3,624 348,672 6.85 10.4
New Caledonia (France) 2,254 3,624 18,275 123 198
Ecuador 2,237 4,597 276,841 8.08 16.6
Eritrea 2,234 3,446 101,000 22.1 34.1 Includes coastline of outlying islands.
Oman 2,092 2,810 309,500 6.76 9.08
Myanmar 1,930 14,708 653,508 2.95 22.5
Yemen 1,906 3,149 527,968 3.61 5.96
Portugal 1,793 2,830 91,470 19.6 30.9
Haiti 1,771 1,977 27,560 64.3 71.7
Libya 1,770 2,025 1,759,540 1.01 1.15
Angola 1,600 2,252 1,246,700 1.28 1.81
Namibia 1,572 1,754 823,290 1.91 2.13
Taiwan 1,566.3 2,007 32,260 48.6 62.2
Palau 1,519 459 3,310
Northern Mariana Islands (United States) 1,482 464 3,190
Ireland 1,448 6,437 68,883 21.0 93.4
Tanzania 1,424 3,461 885,800 1.61 3.91
Sri Lanka 1,340 2,825 64,630 20.7 43.7
United Arab Emirates 1,318 2,871 83,600 15.8 34.3
Costa Rica 1,290 2,069 51,060 25.3 40.5
Dominican Republic 1,288 1,612 48,320 26.7 33.4
Falkland Islands (United Kingdom) 1,288 12,173 106
Finland 1,250 31,119 303,815 4.11 102
Tunisia 1,148 1,927 155,360 7.39 12.4
Kiribati 1,143 1,961 811 1,410 2,420
Fiji 1,129 4,638 18,274 61.8 254
Faroe Islands (Denmark) 1,117 1,393 802
Pakistan 1,046 2,599 770,875 1.36 3.37
Jamaica 1,022 895 10,831 94.4 82.6
Algeria 998 1,557 2,381,740 0.419 0.654
Cape Verde 965 1,121 4,033 239 278
  Spratly Islands (Disputed) 926 <5 >200,000
Nicaragua 910 1,915 119,990 7.58 16.0
Gabon 885 2,019 257,667 3.43 7.84
Nigeria 853 3,122 910,768 0.937 3.43
Sudan 853 2,245 1,731,671 0.493 1.30
Honduras 832 1,878 111,890 7.44 16.8 Includes coastline in the Gulf of Fonseca (163 km).
Mauritania 754 1,268 1,030,700 0.732 1.23
Hong Kong (China) 733 955 1,073 683 890
Timor-Leste 706 14,874 47.5
British Indian Ocean Territory (United Kingdom) 698 60 11,600
Uruguay 660 1,096 175,015 3.77 6.26
Cyprus 648 671 9,241 70.1 72.6
Maldives 644 2,002 298 2,160 6,720
Bangladesh 580 3,306 148,470 4.46 25.4
Liberia 579 842 96,320 6.01 8.74
Qatar 563 909 11,586 48.6 78.5
Ghana 539 758 227,533 2.37 3.33
Kenya 536 1,586 569,140 0.942 2.79
Senegal 531 1,327 192,530 2.76 6.89
 Paracel Islands (Disputed) 518 7.75 66,800
Ivory Coast 515 797 318,003 1.62 2.51
Puerto Rico (United States) 501 1,094 8,959 55.9 122
Kuwait 499 756 17,818 28.0 42.4
Latvia 498 566 62,249 8.00 9.09
Seychelles 491 747 455 1,080 1,640
Guyana 459 1,154 196,849 2.33 5.86
Netherlands 451 1,914 33,893 13.3 56.5 In 1900, the Dutch coastline measured approximately 1400 km. It has significantly been reduced by the closing of the Zuiderzee by the Afsluitdijk in 1932 (250 km) and the closing of several sea arms by the Delta Works (700 km).
Cambodia 443 1,127 176,515 2.51 6.38
Poland 440 1,032 304,255 1.45 3.39
Tonga 419 909 717 584 1,270
Samoa 403 463 2,821 143 164
Cameroon 402 1,799 472,710 0.850 3.81
Sierra Leone 402 1,677 71,620 5.61 23.4
Guatemala 400 445 107,159 3.73 4.15
Turks and Caicos Islands (United Kingdom) 389 948 410
Belize 386 1,996 22,806 16.9 87.5
Suriname 386 620 156,000 2.47 3.97
Marshall Islands 370.4 2,106 181 2,050 11,600
Curaçao (Netherlands) 364 444 820
Albania 362 649 27,398 13.2 23.7
Trinidad and Tobago 362 704 5,128 70.6 137
Bulgaria 354 457 108,489 3.26 4.21
Guinea-Bissau 350 3,176 28,120 12.4 113
Comoros 340 469 2,235 152 210
Guinea 320 1,615 245,717 1.30 6.57
Djibouti 314 443 23,180 13.5 19.1
Georgia 310 376 69,700 4.45 5.39
El Salvador 307 756 20,721 14.8 36.5
Equatorial Guinea 296 603 28,051 10.6 21.5
Montenegro 293.5 13,452 21.82
Israel 273 205 21,497 12.7 9.54 Israel has an additional coastline along the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee (both landlocked), with a total length of 63 km.
Malta 252.8 198 316 800 627
Lebanon 225 294 10,230 22.0 28.7
Romania 225 696 229,891 0.979 3.03
São Tomé and Príncipe 209 269 964 217 279
Singapore 193 268 709.2 272 378
Syria 193 212 185,887 1.04 1.14
U.S. Virgin Islands (United States) 188 390 346 543 1,130
Mauritius 177 496 2,030 87.2 244
Congo, Republic of the 169 205 341,500 0.495 0.600
Bahrain 161 255 760 212 336
Brunei 161 269 5,265 30.6 51.1
Cayman Islands (United Kingdom) 160 264 606
Isle of Man (United Kingdom) 160 572 280
Saint Lucia 158 166 606 261 274
Antigua and Barbuda 153 289 442.6 346 653
Dominica 148 152 751 197 202
Christmas Island (Australia) 138.9 135 1,030
Saint Kitts and Nevis 135 261 517
Wallis and Futuna (France) 129 142 908
Guam (United States) 125.5 544 231
Jan Mayen (Norway) 124.1 377 329
Benin 121 153 110,622 1.09 1.38
Grenada 121 252 344 352 733
Cook Islands (New Zealand) 120 236 508
Saint Pierre and Miquelon (France) 120 242 496
American Samoa (United States) 116 224 518
Bermuda (United Kingdom) 103 180 54 1,910 3,330
Heard Island and McDonald Islands (Australia) 101.9 412 247
Tokelau (New Zealand) 101 12 8,420
Barbados 97 97 430 226 226
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha (United Kingdom) 94 394 239 Excluding Ascension Island (data unavailable).
Lithuania 90 258 62,680 1.44 4.12
United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges (United States) 85.7 22.41 3,820 Includes Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Atoll, and Palmyra Atoll.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 84 264 389 216 679
Akrotiri and Dhekelia (United Kingdom) 83.8 253.8 330 Figure represents total area rather than land area.
British Virgin Islands (United Kingdom) 80 151 530
Gambia 80 503 10,120 7.91 49.7
Ashmore and Cartier Islands (Australia) 74.1 5 14,800
Jersey (United Kingdom) 70 116 603
Aruba (Netherlands) 68.5 107 180 381 594
Belgium 66.5 76 30,278 2.20 2.51
Niue (New Zealand) 64 260 246
Anguilla (United Kingdom) 61 91 670
Saint Martin (Netherlands) 58.9 54.4 1,080 Figure represents the coastline of the entire island, including Sint Maarten (administered by the Netherlands).
Iraq 58 105 437,367 0.133 0.240
Togo 56 53 54,385 1.03 0.975
Pitcairn Islands (United Kingdom) 51 47 1,090
Guernsey (United Kingdom) 50 78 641
Slovenia 46.6 41 20,151 2.31 2.03
Macau (China) 41 36 28.2 1,450 1,280
Gaza Strip (Palestine) 40 360 111
Montserrat (United Kingdom) 40 102 392
Congo, Democratic Republic of the 37 177 2,267,048 0.0163 0.0781
Norfolk Island (Australia) 32 36 889
Nauru 30 21 1,430
Bouvet Island (Norway) 29.6 49 604
Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Australia) 26 14 1,860
Jordan 26 27 88,802 0.293 0.304 Jordan has an additional 50 km of coastline along the Dead Sea, which is landlocked.
Tuvalu 24 26 923
Bosnia and Herzegovina 20 23 51,187 0.391 0.449
Wake Island (United States) 19.3 6.5 2,970
Gibraltar (United Kingdom) 12 6.5 1,850
Clipperton Island (France) 11.1 6 1,850
Navassa Island (Disputed) 8 5.4 1,480
Monaco 4.1 2 2,050
Saint Barthélemy (France) NA 25
Sint Maarten (Netherlands) NA 34 0.0147 Coastline included in figure for Saint Martin (administered by France).
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (United Kingdom) NA 3,903 0.000128
Kazakhstan 0 4,528 2,699,700 0 1.68 Kazakhstan has a coastline with the Caspian Sea, which is landlocked, with a total length of 1,894 km.
Turkmenistan 0 1,289 469,930 0 2.74 Turkmenistan has a coastline with the Caspian Sea, which is landlocked, with a total length of 1,768 km.
Azerbaijan 0 871 82,629 0 10.5 Azerbaijan has a 713-km coastline along the Caspian Sea, which is landlocked.
West Bank (Palestine) 0 5,640 0 The West Bank has a 40-km coastline along the Dead Sea, which is landlocked.
Afghanistan 0 0 652,230 0 0
Andorra 0 468 0
Armenia 0 0 28,203 0 0
Austria 0 0 82,445 0 0
Belarus 0 0 202,900 0 0
Bhutan 0 0 38,394 0 0
Bolivia 0 0 1,083,301 0 0
Botswana 0 0 566,730 0 0
Burkina Faso 0 0 273,800 0 0
Burundi 0 0 25,680 0 0
Central African Republic 0 0 622,984 0 0
Chad 0 0 1,259,200 0 0
Czech Republic 0 0 77,247 0 0
Ethiopia 0 0 1,096,570 0 0
Hungary 0 0 89,608 0 0
Kosovo 0 10,887 0
Kyrgyzstan 0 0 191,801 0 0
Laos 0 0 230,800 0 0
Lesotho 0 0 30,355 0 0
Liechtenstein 0 160 0
Luxembourg 0 0 2,586 0 0
Malawi 0 0 94,080 0 0
Mali 0 0 1,220,190 0 0
Moldova 0 0 32,891 0 0
Mongolia 0 0 1,553,556 0 0
  Nepal 0 0 143,351 0 0
Niger 0 0 1,266,700 0 0
North Macedonia 0 0 25,433 0 0
Paraguay 0 0 397,302 0 0
Rwanda 0 0 24,668 0 0
San Marino 0 61 0
Serbia 0 77,474 0
Slovakia 0 0 48,105 0 0
South Sudan 0 644,329 0 Figure represents total area rather than land area.
Swaziland 0 0 17,204 0 0
 Switzerland 0 0 39,997 0 0
Tajikistan 0 0 141,510 0 0
Uganda 0 0 197,100 0 0
Uzbekistan 0 1,707 425,400 0 4.01
Vatican City 0 0.44 0
Zambia 0 0 743,398 0 0
Zimbabwe 0 0 386,847 0 0
French Guiana (France) 763
Guadeloupe (France) 581
Martinique (France) 369
Caribbean Netherlands (Netherlands) 361
Réunion (France) 219

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